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Not ready for primetime. The 3rd installment of Dead Rising made officially as an XBox One release day game, is full of issues. The story takes over as Nick and his friends look to escape the city infected with a mass zombie horde. The zombies in this game are slow and stupid, not nearly as silly as some like seen in World War Z or as incessant as the ones in Day Z. Now if you follow my YouTube channel you will see I am big Zombie fan. I did a whole series where I played some 30 zombie games. Getting this game for the Xbox One was almost a no brainer for me. I was soon disappointed with the game I got day 1.
The main issues I have with this game are these. When you have a brainless slasher combat game you need simplicity of control.
Often I would be fighting and accidentally hit a button that would throw my weapon away. Or when in the midst of combat I needed to eat some food the devs decided that picking up a bag of chips and then eating it should be 2 separate buttons. While from the outside it seems so common sense that it should be easy to remember, in the midst of combat its anything but intuitive and a real chore to remember the keys. Sure with enough muscle memory you might get it but its really difficult in the beginning. Ok so your amazing with muscle memory.
Ignore that part of my review if you will. Instead the physics are laughable at best. Several times I would bump into another object to have my car explode and I flip no less than 300 times down the road to stand up unscathed. Once I bumped into a parked tow truck (a side rescue mission to clear out the zombies around this girl) The car became damaged but I kept on clearing out the Zeds.
What happened next was hilarious if it wasn't so sad. The car blew up, I flipped 300 times in the air and flew into a building a block away. When I stood up I had killed all of the Zombies around the girl and every car in the area was on its roof. Its not just when the car blows up that the physics are laughable its most things you hit/run into when driving.
Shooting in this game seems a bit off too. Its hard to describe, but the camera angles are all wrong. You never get to really aim well. Its just a sloppy mess and your better off not using a gun at all.
Pros:
+ A day one zombie release for Xbox One
+ Lots of carnage
+ Silly situations are fun
Cons:
- Controller a mess (too many functions for a hack & slash game)
- Camera following is terrible when shooting
- Physics are atrocious with regard to explosions and damage
- Feels really sloppy
- Graphics are for Xbox 360
Overall I was not happy with the gameplay/controls/physics. Also this is an obvious 360 game ported to the One. The graphics are decent at best. I realize its a release title and they didn't write it for the One but it still feels old.
Recommendation:
Skip this for now and get it in the bargain bin next year. | video-games_xbox |
Almost Entirely Disappointing. I won't sugar-coat your expectations here; this game is bad. It's almost worse than bad, and it's no wonder Sega had to resort to giving copies of it away with the Xbox in the winter of '02. It just wouldn't move on its own, the entire package is so shoddy and second rate. Your expectations for a pack-in game are already a little bit lower than they would have been if you'd spent an extra fifty dollars on it, but even with those downgraded standards I can't fathom how word about this game's ugliness didn't quite reach me before that fateful day when I finally decided to give it a shot. It's so bad, I'm surprised I didn't notice a foul odor coming from the clam shell.
Where the average racer does a good job of giving you the sensation of control, the feel of horsepower underneath your thumb and a fair idea of how most cars respond to such insane acceleration, Sega GT accomplishes none of these. Its use of vibration, an oft-overlooked key component of the experience, is slim at best and often amounts to nothing more than a quiet stir, should you happen to drive over a huge patch of rocks. Acceleration feels more like a ride on the ferris wheel than a moment behind the wheel of a earthbound rocket ship, as your car will join four or five others in ever-so-gently building their way up from a standstill to a moderate speed. It's like jumping into the body of a sixty year old woman, mildly confused behind the wheel of her Lincoln Continental, and racing against similarly-maligned spirits in one of the most anticlimactic experiences I've ever put myself through. Turning is a slow, arduous process and more closely resembles a series of soft, graceful slides on a toboggan than precision cornering. I'd assume that the idea there was to emphasize a rally-style drift racing not unlike that of Rallysport Challenge, since that seems to be an ongoing obsession of Sega's, but it really doesn't work right in this instance and the quality suffers because of it.
One unique, surprisingly cool add-on to most of GT 2k2's races is the inclusion of a post-race replay editor and photo system. The photo editor, in particular, is something that sounds completely stupid at first but becomes extremely cool in action. After an important race on one of the career mode's circuits, the game will automatically jump right into a replay of your efforts, but rather than sitting back as a mere spectator, you're given the ability to change angles, zoom and capture up to six different in-action shots. After you've used up all of your film, you're taken to a screen to review the shots and select your favorite of the bunch, which is then displayed on the wall of your in-game garage, right above the trophy case. It's a fresh way of giving the player a sense of personal accomplishment, visually identifying your achievements with the actual act of achieving them, and is one of the few aspects of the game that's an unbridled success.
Sega GT 2002's variety of differing modes for game play are conspicuously similar to those of Sony's Gran Turismo series; you've got a straight "day in the life of" career simulation, the standard "try to beat my best time" so-called arcade setup, a head-to-head competitive racer with support for a maximum of two players, and a mildly interesting storyline option dubbed "chronicle mode."
The career mode, officially titled "Sega GT Mode," certainly aspires to be a Gran Turismo killer, but opts for a more straightforward, linear path in contrast to Turismo's famous free-form career progression. Sure, you start in the same place: a couple thousand dollars in your pocket, a dream, a knack for the track and endless amounts of free time to dedicate to your craft. The similarities, however, really end once you've chosen a bottom-of-the-line car with which to begin your journey and actually start to take part in a few races. The staggering scale of Gran Turismo's world and that game's amazing ability to project a feeling of awe directly onto the player is a big part of what makes it so highly respected, so iconic, among gamers. In the world of GT 2002, you'll buy your starter car, perhaps spend a few minutes tuning and improving its performance, and head out into a world filled with a stiflingly narrow career path and maybe one or two choices to make along the way. You won't even take your first "license test" until you're already three races into your career and the tests themselves are as bargain-basement as they come.
Instead of slowly working your way through each important aspect of racing a high-performance automobile, (showing the judges that you know how to accurately brake, to turn without nipping some off-turf terrain, to pass without ramming your opposition into a stationary object) you drive a game-specified car around a game-specified track for one lap. If you don't finish with a time that the judges deem to be acceptable, you fail. For the purposes of license testing, you're also granted a strange sort of "failure meter," which quickly drains if you nudge a wall, allow your wheels to leave the track at any point, perform a power slide around a corner or potentially turn your head the wrong way. If the meter hits empty, you guessed it, the test is over and you automatically fail. So, in addition to timing you on your run, the judges also expect you to drive like a grizzled veteran along the way, which is cute because there's no sort of training module to introduce you to the title's flipped-out physics engine. Hope you like flying blind, because Sega is here to dispense the blindfolds.
While the head-to-head mode is your standard split screen affair and the "Quick Race" option is run of the mill, the "Chronicle Mode" seems to have its heart set in the right place, even if the results are less than spectacular. Aiming to fill gamers in on the history of circuit racing, as well as the trends in car manufacturing that have come and gone, "Chronicle Mode" asks you to climb behind the wheel of one of a dozen different '70s muscle cars and race against opposition from three historical decades. You'll work your way through the historical ranks by racing it against cars from the 70s, early 80s, late 80s, early 90s, late 90s and "21st Century," observing as its early strengths are surpassed by the rapid progression of technology and toiling as the older model's inherent weaknesses become harder and harder to ignore. Before each race, the game gives you a little historical lesson in the form of a three or four paragraph essay, explaining what advances had been made in the automotive industry over the five years in question. It's a great concept, but the historical essays seem to have been written by someone with only a passing knowledge of the English language and considering the inherent flaws in the standard game itself, the last thing you're going to want to do is handicap yourself by racing an antique against a souped-up 21st century monster.
As far as visuals are concerned, this isn't really a game that you're going to want to show off to friends. It's mediocre at best, topping the visuals of its immediate predecessor, Sega GT on the Dreamcast, but failing to live up to the standards established by its direct competition. The car models look oversimplified, the environments are lacking in detail and the spectators are blatantly two-dimensional, animated cardboard cutout fare. Even the pre-renders featured on the front cover of the DVD casing are sub-standard, attempting to simulate the brilliant reflections, glares and textures later accomplished by Project Gotham 2 and failing spectacularly in the process. This is a game that could've benefitted tremendously from a few additional months of focused concentration and development in the graphics department, but for whatever reason that potential was never realized and we're left to deal with yet another visually unimpressive also-ran.
I know it's tough to compare a game like GT 2002 to such a well-established, universally-praised behemoth such as the epic Gran Turismo series, but by positioning itself so directly as a supposed competitor to the industry-leader, Sega leaves me little choice. It's like passing around a platter at a huge social gathering where tiny slices of two-week-old baloney sit right alongside flawlessly steamed slices of ham and gorgeous, mouth-watering hunks of turkey. When all of the good meat has been picked over, the slower-moving guests who find themselves stuck with the smelly, discount-brand baloney to snack on will be complaining. Loudly. | video-games_xbox |
Perfect Blend of Old and New. First off, whenever a developer decides to do an updated version of a classic game, I'm always a bit doubtful. Hopeful, but doubtful. So when I read that a new version of the highly revered N64 Goldeneye had hit shelves I had to give it a go. And boy am I glad I did!
As mentioned in the title, this game manages to maintain the integrity of the original game while updating the new version with the Call of Duty treatment (this is an Activision game after all). On the old/classic side of things you get the familiar levels and story that we all love so much (albeit updated and reimagined to all new heights)and you can even choose to play the game in 'classic' mode where you constantly have to find armor to maintain your game health. But perhaps most impressively, is that the game does a great job of recreating the vibe/atmosphere of the original--again, with updated graphics and music (thank you Bono!).
But it's on the 'new' side of things where the game truly shines...
When I say the game got the COD treatment, I'm not joking. The controls are the same, the dynamic first person cinematics are present, and the campaign action matches up closely to Modern Warfare 2. In addition to the robust (7-8 hour) single player campaign, the game also offers a series of special ops missions (much like MW2) and a multiplayer/online experience that is also all Activision. Of course, the game is new/updated in another way, too...
Gone is Pierce Brosnan and the cadre of 90's Bond characters. Instead we get Dame Judi Dench as M, Daniel Craig as Bond, and seriously good voice acting in this game. So why has the release of this game been so low key? In a word: Battlefield. COD MW3 is being released a mere week after Goldeneye Reloaded--and Activision wants their premier franchise to blow Battlefield 3 out of the water. If we, the public, were so aware that we can have Modern Warfare-style action now with Goldeneye...well, that could detract from sales. This is, unfortunately, a great disservice to this stellar game.
Now do yourself the favor of picking up this game. It is worth the $60! | video-games_xbox |
Cold Fear is Cold. Atmospherically, Cold Fear is derivative and predictable, which is a shame considering that it is, at times, an enjoyable action game. While Cold Fear does not exactly establish itself as a high-quality survival horror game, the involved story and occasional interesting gameplay element make Cold Fear worth playing, for at least a little while, anyway.
They got the cold part right. In Cold Fear, you play as Tom Hansen, a US Coast Guard officer who has been sent to investigate a mysterious Russian frigate on a windy and stormy night in the middle of the ocean. You find out early on that the boat is occupied not merely by hostile Russian soldiers, of which there are plenty, but also by alien creatures that feed on the humans and provide a severe threat from both inside and outside their host bodies. Your investigation leads you to a few friendly faces and many threatening ones as you uncover the mystery of the ship and its lethal cargo.
The perspective is third person, with the ability to go into a first-person aiming mode through which you can freely guide your view. Although the fixed camera gives a wider glimpse of the scene, it's not easy to keep fluid control when going back and forth between cameras, which is a problem as you try to maneuver around the boat and take out the enemies you encounter along the way.
Additional controls let you crouch, run, and scroll quickly through weapons, which is slightly more intuitive in the PS2 version, thanks to the extra trigger buttons. However, since the weapon scroll is placed on the white/black buttons on the Xbox controller, the difference is not that severe. Running brings up an onscreen meter that, when depleted, prohibits you from running anymore. This helps to make certain puzzles more challenging, and you will find yourself monitoring the meter frequently, but it does not detract from or add to the gameplay in any significant way.
Because Cold Fear takes place in ocean-locked environments, the control scheme is affected by the movement of the waves. This is mostly noticeable when you are outside, and at times it looks like you're walking almost completely sideways, due to the volatile movement of the deck beneath you. This adversely impacts the controls, but the trade-off is a unique and interesting component of the gameplay. As you fight against the tossing of the boat, timing yourself to cross decks only when the waves are low, you encounter some of the most compelling aspects of Cold Fear. Unfortunately, the outside environments are not tapped to their fullest, and you'll spend the majority of the game, past the first hour, in generic indoor locations.
Your objective in Cold Fear is to discover the story behind the vessel's apparent destruction and the emergence of the nonhuman creatures upon it. Despite being a highly derivative story about a genetic experiment gone wrong, the relationship between characters is interesting, and the story is neat and simple. Most of the plot exploration is conveyed through notes that are littered about the environment and through dialogues with characters (for the short duration that the people on the boat other than Hansen manage to stay alive). The notes are well implemented, and they drive the story and reveal critical information about weapons, environmental objects, and enemies.
Although you start off with merely a handgun, there are a number of different weapons to be found in the middle of the ocean, including a submachine gun, an AK-47, a speargun, a flamethrower, and a grenade launcher. The weapons are almost all equally effective, except for differences in power. The speargun is the only weapon that is not used explicitly for dealing damage, and when fired, it releases a gas that draws enemies near it. This is a great tactic to use in conjunction with one of the more explosive weapons such as the shotgun or grenade launcher. Otherwise, the objective of the game is to make headshots on all humanoid enemies, which can be exceedingly difficult as the enemies draw nearer to you. Fortunately, most of the weapons have either a laser sight or flashlight, which aids your precision. The point of the headshot is to conserve ammunition, although enemies will not die unless they are decapitated. This means that if you shoot an enemy anywhere other than in the head, and merely knock it down to the ground, you have a certain amount of time to run over and step on the head before the enemy gets back up and attacks you again.
Many of the zombies are possessed by exocel creatures, which are spidery beings that alternate between crawling on the floor and the ceiling before attempting to take possession of a human being by reaching out a long tendril into a human's mouth and then climbing inside. Outside of a host body, these exocels are fairly easy to destroy--usually one bullet sends them rolling up into a ball, and a second one takes them out--but given their flexibility and their penchant for appearing out of nowhere, including bodies you've just killed, they provide a formidable threat if not dealt with quickly. More advanced abominations of genetics appear later on, but with the more difficult enemies, it's sometimes easier to merely avoid confrontation and run along to the next room. If you choose to run, you'll find these creatures often jumping on your back. When this happens, you're given a button sequence to throw the enemy and try to achieve a critical hit. If you successfully land a critical hit, enemies are killed much more quickly than if you had gone about it the normal way. Because of this, it's sometimes tactically important to let Hansen be jumped by enemies, as long as you can throw them quickly.
Hansen knows a ballet bar when he sees one.
Other game tactics include using pieces of the environment to do the work for you. You can shoot explosive barrels, fire extinguishers, and different-colored valves to create an environmental trap for oncoming enemies. From time to time, you'll encounter a fight between two of the enemy species, and you can let them fight among themselves before you intervene. Environmental effects, such as laser beams and swinging obstacles, can often be used to pick off the less bright enemies, and the rocking of the boat will send a zombie or you overboard, if you're standing on the wrong side of a slippery surface. | video-games_xbox |
MYGm Mode is full of Dealbreakers. My GM mode is an abomination. First I feel sorry for Eric Boenisch and team. I am a coach last season we put in a ton of work and had a horrible season. These guys clearly put in a lot of work unfortunately it is an unplayable, joyless experience that highlights the problems of their progression system and trade/free agency logic but offers the gamer no solutions to work around them as we were able to in past iterations. Let me start with the inclusion of VC which must be spent just to complete basic task i.e set your rotation. VC is eraned by playing games not simming them and it is going to take years to get through a season at this rate. I spend $500 plus dollars on a new system and games and it's not enough they want me to spend money in game. Get your microtransactions out of my face. Customization and freedom have been removed. You can no longer control more than one team. No longer allowed to force trades, no more attribute or tendency editing, can't change the opponents jerseys, no create a player. Plus everything must be saved to their servers which are notoriously lousy and even if they were reliable this is a slight against the user who likes to save on the HD. No control over the saving in the mode either, No start today feature ( a great feature and is now more necessary since we have no control over the league or sim results). Owners are an important part of the mode unfortunately they are not the real owners the Lakers owner is Eric Boenisch which turns out to be an aggravating reminder of who ruined this game for me. I can't believe they saw the outrage surrounding a similar mode in Madden and decided to copy it and take the restriction even further. Had they implemented some of their ideas into a tradition association mode this could have been the greatest sports game in History. Players retiring and becoming assistant coaches is great managing organizations finances would be great. For me I have always liked 2K's association mode because it offered the most freedom and the ability to shape the infrastructure of the league. If the Spurs make a non spurish move I could correct it. If I was a few seasons in and didn't like how the league was progressing or wanted to have a star fall off the cliff and a relative unknown rise to the top I could. Eric Boenisch missed the mark he said he wanted to force users to make interesting decisions well he did that he forced me to decide not to play and to caution every NBA 2k fan I know that this is not as advertised. Could be alleviated with a dlc of current Gen association because the game looks great and plays great. | video-games_xbox |
Unbelievably, Comically Horrible. I have owned the following gaming systems: Adversary, Game Boy, Game Boy Advance SP, DS Lite, 3DS Deluxe, NES, SNES, Nintendo 64, GameCube, Wii, Wii U, Game Gear, Genesis, Sega Saturn, Dreamcast, Playstation, Playstation 2, Playstation 3, Playstation 4, Xbox, Xbox 360 (x5), and now Xbox One.
After its announcement as an always-on NSA surveillance device, I decided not to buy an Xbox One at launch, opting instead to stick to Playstation 4. Since they (supposedly) removed many of the surveillance features and fixed most of the crippling launch bugs in the Master Chief Collection I recently purchased this bundle (from a department store, not Amazon) with the intent of replaying the Halo games with an old friend.
Our first major disappointment with this bundle was the discovery that Halo 5 does not allow splitscreen co-op - a core feature of the Halo series since its launch. In order to play cooperatively we would have had to buy another console and another copy of the game. To gamers like us, who had co-oped all 6 previous Halo titles at their individual launches, this was a savage betrayal. When I played it myself later, Halo 5 turned out to be rather lackluster anyway, a further step down the slope to complete irrelevancy. The story in the campaign is forced, uninteresting, and absurdly full of plot holes and retcons, while the multiplayer is openly, unashamedly pay-to-win. Despite this, I actually found the core gameplay to be excellent.
Since we couldn't play Halo 5 together, my friend and I proceeded to start up the Master Chief Collection. Or, at least we would have, if this bundle included the game on disk. It doesn't. Instead, we started what turned out to be a 60 GB+ download that took all day. I can't tell you why this took so long when I regularly download Steam games at 10 MB/s, but I'm sure that Microsoft had something to do with it.
A couple weeks later, when we both finally had the opportunity to play again, we started the MCC up. If you've played Halo: CE Anniversary Edition, the Halo: CE in MCC has nothing new to offer. It's good. The graphical improvements are great, but it's not new. The real meat of the collection comes along in Halo 2, which hadn't received an anniversary edition until this point. While it was thrilling to see old, familiar environments with new graphics, the new music can at times be annoying, overpowering, and inferior to the original. The new cutscenes are fantastic, except when they interfere with actual Halo canon by retconning Locke into the events or serve as laughable infodumps accessed by terminals that serve no purpose except to destroy the mystery of Halo and allow 343i's new devs to feel like they can lay some claim on the success of the Halo series, even while they crap all over it.
The real problem with this system, and the reason for leaving a 1 star review, is the interface. In all my life I've never encountered an interface that was less intuitive and user-friendly or more buggy. It boggles the mind that a company at Microsoft's level could take a product that works just fine, like the Xbox 360 (or Windows, or Outlook/Hotmail), and actively make it worse. But that's what they've somehow managed to do. Just finding the setting you need, or the game or app you want to launch, is a chore in itself. There doesn't seem to be any logical method behind the organization of options, icons, settings, games, and the like. It's not quite as bad as Windows 8, but it feels like it's trying to be.
Not one single time have I started my system up, selected the game I wanted to play, and proceeded to play without hindrance. There is ALWAYS something going wrong with this brick. If it's not forcing me to download a new 4 GB system update, then it's forcing a game update. They even managed to find a way to make CONTROLLERS require updates. Yes, individual controllers. Connect a controller you haven't used in a year, or one that sat on the shelf at the store, and you won't be allowed to use your own hardware in your own house without connecting it to their servers and waiting until they tell you it's good. And what, exactly, do these new controllers do that previous controllers didn't, to justify this new process? Nothing at all.
When it's not wasting your time this way, it's wasting it in others. When Xbox live is available, you'd better make sure to connect to it manually because otherwise it will change your in-game name to WWWWWWWWWWWW and stop tracking your achievements. It sure isn't going to connect itself. Of course to do that, you'll need to reroute a LAN cable that would see better use plugged into your toilet, or input your WiFi password - which Xbox One seems completely incapable of remembering. Can't connect to the internet, despite every other device in your house working fine? Just manually re-enter your password 15 times, while the system displays it in plain text and promptly forgets it after each failure to connect. Haven't wasted money on Xbox Live Gold yet? Prepare to decline Gold status 2-5 times every play session. As if the system can't remember that you told it 'no' five minutes ago.
But the worst issues of all presented themselves while trying to play through MCC splitscreen. The Xbox One seems unable to handle having two people signed in at once unless you approach the process of signing in with a rigid, arcane set of rules discovered through hours of trial and error. Here are some examples of the many bugs and poor design decisions related to this:
1. The system itself is slow to respond, change menus, and display. Slower than a PC, slower than a smart phone, slower than the Playstation 4, and definitely slower than is reasonable. Viewing your achievements, for example, takes far longer than it ever should. It's faster on 360, by far.
2. When two players are signed in, they can both control the interface in many circumstances, making it unclear who the 'active' player is in some menus, and leading to input conflicts in others.
3. Despite constant updates, controller bugs are frequent. Like entering a level where you cannot stop walking because the system thinks the analog stick is being held in some direction. Fine. But go to correct it by turning the controller off and back on and you'll have to sign in again. But wait, you're already signed in. Leading to the MCC returning an error that 'the player is already signed in', which neither player can select 'ok' on. So restart the game, and there goes your progress or match.
4. The system apparently has no idea who is signed in to each controller, despite this information being readily accessible to the player. For example, try activating a 'terminal' in the MCC. First thing that happens is that the game launches Halo Waypoint, which you're then forced to install. Then it downloads the video at it's comically-low speed so it can forcefeed you some retconning. But before you view it, prepare to be asked (every time) "who are you?". Of course the available options are "You (Signed In)" or "Someone Else". You're telling me you don't know who pressed the button to launch this, despite displaying it to me right now? Why are you even asking, if it makes no difference? Both players get the achievement, both players see the video. Then it's over. This sort of insulting insanity is so common that it begins to feel more like malice than incompetence.
I could probably write another 10 paragraphs, but suffice it to say that this is the worst console that I've ever experienced, for more reasons than I can articulate. I loved the 360, but this system is irredeemable garbage. Don't buy this. Unless you're in my local area and you see me selling this on Craigslist. Of course then you'll have to buy MCC separately since Microsoft tied the install to my live account so that I can't resell it. | video-games_xbox |
Play it for the story, nothing more. The Darkness is one of those kind of games where you got to appreciate having it since it feels so radically different from other FPS games. It's got the slight linearity of games like Call of Duty and Fear yet there's some sidequests and exploration to be found but above all, it's completely geared towards its storytelling and atmosphere which is quite impeccable. But in a way some people might not like its pacing since it's not action-intensive as other games and then you'll not even be touching the controller as you stare at something (and even get an achievement for that very thing) but the shooting plus controlling the Darkness is a blast. Just stay away from the multiplayer...it's pretty bad.
Story: You play as Jackie Estacado, part of a mob family that gets a hit put out on him during his 21st birthday. While being hunted, Jackie gets ensnared by the Darkness, an evil and powerful spirit that allows Jackie some incredible and destructive gifts at the cost of a constant voice in his head and occasionally being manipulated and controlled. But Jackie is out for revenge anyway against Uncle Paulie, the man who called the hit, and his lackey corrupt police officer Eddie Schrote so having the Darkness as an ally is the gift and curse.
Graphics: Graphically the game looks similar to the Chronicles of Riddick with some incredibly realistic and moody lighting and some great art design such as one place you go to during the second act and New York City which for once FEELS like New York City rather than a bunch of buildings that look like its skyline. Character models as well look like actual people however the lip movements are incredibly off and half the time I don't even the see the lips actually moving. The game does look great and is quite memorable because of its unique look though if you were to compare it to say Modern Warfare or other games, it looks good.
Sound/Music: What makes the storytelling work is the voice acting which is, quite simply, phenomenally. From Jackie to his girlfriend Jenny to even minor characters you meet along the way (gotta love the dude who sings part of his sentences) and even Mike Patton from the old Faith No More band does an incredibly raspy voice for the Darkness who will be a constant presence in your ear. As far as the music, it's not as prominent but it's there but the ambience is from the chatter and train rumblings of the subway to the moody place you'll go to at times, game also has a great ear.
Gameplay: For the most part it's kind of basic. You get weapons which you select by left and right on the D-pad but the fun part is using the Darkness powers. There's 4: the creeping dark, a slithering snake you control (rather horribly I might add) to launch sneak attacks on foes, a tail-like move that'll impale enemies or move objects blocking your path, the Darkness guns and the destructive Black Hole which sucks in nearby enemies. They're all fun to use even with Black Hole becoming your trump card but sneaking up on people and biting their faces off never gets old. There's also a slight RPG element where you consume people's hearts (I like when the 2 heads try to fight for it, left never wins) and that'll level up your darkness powers to of course make you more awesome.
Another part of your gift is the ability to summon darklings, little minions you can use to wreck havoc on your foes. From the melee-loving berserker, mini-gun toting gunner, the kamikaze and one who specifically targets lights out and zaps your foes. Speaking of lights, you'll want to shoot them out since they help your powers a lot better and there's even times where you can't take out your powers unless you shoot the lights. This however can make it tedious to always aim for lightbulbs. Another slight flaw I noticed is that Jackie walks.way.too.slow and trying to get close to an enemy to do the awesome execution move and yet he walks like he's got a limp or something. Also at times I couldn't figure out where I was supposed to actually go though at least there's a helpful menu that tells you but more often than not, I'm walking back and forth going "where am I supposed to go anyway?"
Oh, and if you're into boosting, I'd do it with the Darkness and move on since how do I put this...the multiplayer sucks. The lag and just the general boringness of it all, this is clearly a multiplayer that was added on because developers were afraid people would just rent it, beat it and sell it to Gamestop or something. And wouldn't you know it, there's quite a few achievements in multiplayer for a game with a diminishing community by the day so go you.
As a single player game, the Darkness is quite an underrated game with the occasional nitpick but for those into FPS games that are more or less entirely story driven like Half-Life 2 will find some fun here. But longevity, well, that multiplayer still sucks so I'd maybe rent. | video-games_xbox |
Awesome Game, Just Perfect. I just started getting into the Civ series about 7 months ago. Loved Civ 4 but hated Civ 5 since the long delays for turns made me stop playing halfway through the first and only game I played on it. It's a perfect transition to Console. I just have a couple of minor complains and they are that i wished all units from Civ 4 would be here. Units like Maceman and Crossbowman were sad to see they weren't included. No biggie it's not a big factor as the game is still awesome. I wished there more leaders. I also wished diplomacy was a little better. Can't stand the AI quickly wanting peace after you take cities or their captials from them but will demand stuff when they feel you are weak. Or they sometimes refuse to talk after war has been declared by either side yet other times you can quickly make peace. I also wished their was more techs since some have been missing from Civ 4.
My only other complaint is not being able to choose map or the game speed of the game. I also have mixed feelings about the resource system. While i do like the ability to have the resource available to you as long as it's in your cites radius i also wished that it was like Civ 4 where the Civ that has horses nearby would make horses while the other civs were still stuck making archers and maceman. All in all it's a fun game that just has minor things that are mainly preference since casual players will enjoy the easier mechanics while the hardcore civ fans will have liked the more complex system at or near the Civ 4 system.
Update 7/4/11:
The great thing about the console port is that you do not have to worry about having to meet system requirements, upgrading video card, lag and/or turn delays. Civ 4/5 would have you waiting about 1-2 mins for each turn to finish due to lag and AI turn delays. On Multiplayer most games have a 60 second timer (game option can have no turn timer or 30-90 seconds per turn) for all players. So you can take the entire 60 seconds or take 20 seconds and just have to wait no more than 40 more seconds before the next turn starts which is awesome. Most turns are complete by all 4 players within the first 30 seconds so you don't have to wait long for the next turn.
I forgot to mention the freeze of doom in Multiplayer in my previous review. About 75%-90% of Multiplayer Games freeze or are frozen by cheaters who will freeze you on purpose so that they get the easy win when they are losing. It is not uncommon for a player to have a dominating tech lead only to be frozen by a sore loser. Then the game becomes a waiting game to see who can leave the 360 on all night before the other(s) leave, because they can't stand staying in a frozen game just to get 1 win 12 hrs later in the waiting game. Meanwhile the cheater who caused the freeze can't tolerate ruining his undefeated streak of 200-0 so he will leave the 360 on until he gets the win even if it takes 24 hrs of waiting for that one win, which is very sad and lame.
Multiplayer games usually end early due to rage quits, or freezes. Typical games last no more than 0 AD (first 40 turns) or about 30 mins. The few games that do last a long time and may go into the 1900s-2000s, have already been decided during the 1500s-1700s most of the time (due to a dominating tech lead). So players tend to wait until the 1900s-2000s to start wars with each other (to prevent the other players from winning) since the player(s) will have the final end game units and the techs they need to do whatever victory condition they are going for. | video-games_xbox |
I really wanted to like this game. A perfect example of the pitfalls of AAA gaming's hype machine. There's no denying that the game is gorgeously rendered with some of the best graphics on the One, and the game + show concept is I'm sure going to be popping up more and more in the future. But it doesn't add up to a unique, interesting or engaging experience, and here's why. I'll be reviewing the technical aspects, gameplay and story separately. Note that I only played about 3/5 of the game for reasons you'll see.
Story: Where to begin? I'll start with this because it's a very narrative-heavy game, probably because the developers want to prevent you from thinking about the gameplay too much.
Player choice: For all of the advertising, opportunites for player choice are rare - occaisionally you'll interact with something that will make a small difference in the show, and once per chapter the game gives you one big, semi-explained choice to make. Without spoiling, essentially the player is presented two choices (that a character you never play otherwise makes), and the character uses their powers to see the consequences ahead. However, at times the foresight cuts off right before a major unintended consequence, again for no other reason than the plot demanding it. Ultimately I don't think the choices really amount to much in terms of gameplay or even the story.
Characters: Most characters were dull and had only the personality demanded by that moment in the plot. The protagonist is another dull white guy in his 20s who for some reason is a kung fu and shooting bad guys expert. By the end, Mr. Target Demographic shoots enough bad guys to orphan half of the kids in town without any hint of guilt for it. I assume it's eventually explained why he thinks nothing of breezily killing hundreds of fathers only trying to collect a paycheck, but other contrivances in the story frustrated me enough to quit. The sole exception to the collection of well-trodden archetypes comes from Lance Reddick (AKA Cedric from The Wire) who brilliantly plays one of the villains. But that's far from satisfactory for a game that spends about a quarter of its time as a show and largely features characters that spout the same cliches that have been old since Back to the Future Part 2.
Deus Ex Machina: This is what killed Quantum Break for me. This game abuses the concept to the point of absurdity.(Look it up if you don't know what it is). There are many instances of it in the plot, which I won't say due to spoilers, but more absurd are the periodic freezes in time that affect everyone but those with time powers. Almost every time, these occur just as the protagonist is about to die or some similar plot device. It made the freezes very predictable: just wait until it looks like Mr. Target Demographic is about to get splattered.
Technical aspects/graphics: Like most AAA games and especially console exclusives, this is where the money went. Environments are detailed, but there's usually nothing to do with most of it. Characters are mocapped competently enough, though it approaches the uncanney valley at times. What's most frustrating is the glitches. It crashed on me about three times. When I went to the home screen and returned, the audio always cut out. A collectable item was un-collectable. I'm sure they'll fix issues like this in a patch, but when you have a massive budget and the game underwent several delays, there's really no excuse for such basic bugs. ALSO: Once per chapter or so you'll have to navigate platforming sections where, for example, a rock is broken in time and alternating between positions, requiring you to use your powers to get across it. However, many times I made it to the end of the section just as my powers expired, sending the rock or whatever down and killing me even though I was definitely beyond it. It's really quite lazy programming (I say having never programmed anything in my life).
Gameplay: Almost instantly I knew this game was going to be a dull slog. You're given a series of linear environments to shoot bad guys through and gradually unlock new time powers. There is zero opportunity for stealth. Along the way the game expects you to look at every email and scrap of paper you find (it literally keeps track of the "narrative objects" you find). That's about it. There's no crouch button, so you can only not be standing straight up in a firefight like a dope when you're next to something, which is a bizarre design choice. You have to collect, for some reason, glowing orbs that allow you to enhance your powers - which are basically the same powers you'll find in any other game (freeze enemy, dash, run fast while slowing time, grenade, and "TIME VISION". Why does every AAA game in the past 5 years have to have a vision mode that reveals every enemy and collectable? It's classic telling over showing. And it just sounds silly to have every power begin with "time".) After a chapter or two the routine of A) Shoot bad guys B) look at all of these conveniently placed emails that somehow mostly have to do with things directly related to what's going on right now in the plot C) repeat becomes incredibly repetitive.
Overall, Quantum Break emphasizes style over substance, and the handful of positive attributes (pretty colors, humor that doesn't always make you wince) don't outweigh the dull combat and lazily written, clichd story. | video-games_xbox |
Not the best version of street fighter but, for 5 bucks. This was my first street fighter and the only reason i bought it was because of guiles theme goes with everything meme. The game includes theme playable characters. Ryu, Ken, Guile, E Honda, Blanka, Chun Li, Dhalism, Zangief, Balrog, Vega, Sagat, and M Bison. Even with only 12 characters they play differently which makes it fell like there are more. The graphics are greatly improved and the sound and music is amazing. Yet this games biggest problem is its very fast. Too fast in my opinion. The gameplay is speed up and the enemy is always on the offense. When the gameplay is speed up you can't pull of special moves so easily and at times it fells impossible. Yet the worst part is because its hyper fighter you cant slow down the gameplay and your only option is to lower the difficulty. Which doesn't make it less hard when enemies are always attacking and can pull of special moves so accurately. Good luck trying to get to the bosses and even Bison. The games so hard if you do get to the bosses you fell like your opponent messed up and you didn't actually do the work. If you can manage to beat the arcade mode you unlock a CPU versus mode (2 player offline mode is unlocked from the beginning) but, the CPU is even harder than in the arcade mode. Then theres multiplayer, Veteran Street fighter fans will mop the floor with new guys so its not fun. However i still play it every once in awhile to boost my skill for other street fighter games, thats where the game does shin, keeping you on your toes.
Pro:
Updated graphics
Updates sound and music
multiplayer
CPU battle mode
Con:
Too hard
Special moves are very hard to pull off
Can't lower speed
Lowering difficulty has almost no effect
Nothing new from past street fighter games
X box controller make it even harder
new players will probably give up after a few weeks
Overall for 5 bucks its not worth it, unless your a monster and hardcore player. I agree with the other review get Super Street fighter 2 turbo HD Remix for 5 bucks more. The Pro's have much more. or get Super Street Fighter 2 turbo. | video-games_xbox |
Very Good - Not what it could be. I must say that I was very excited to get this game after all the hype. The orignial halo was amazing, so I knew I had to get halo 2. I'll go play by play over the features that were advertised for this game:
Campagin: The first thing I played in halo 2 was the single player campaign. I must say that although the graphics are improved, The textures arive a split second late during the scene changes. It gets annoying. The missions are fun at first, but they get repetitive. I also find myself getting turned around way too much in levels that look too much alike.
The new interface: I hate the new interface. There is no health meter and although the shields recharge faster, they are much weaker. It is a lot easier to die. Although this doesn't really have to do with interface, I absolutely want to throw the flashlight on the ground and buy a new one from walmart. Seriously, it turns off every 5 seconds or so. VERY ANNOYING. When playing as a covenant elite, you don't have a flashlight. VERY ANNOYING.
Duel Wielding: Duel wielding is fun, but I really hate that when you switch to your other weapon, you drop your left hand weapon. It's also annoying that you drop your left weapon when doing a mele strike. Overall though, having two guns is very cool.
Playing as an elite: It's a cool idea, but gets annoying. In addition to not having a flashlight, it's nearly impossible to tell friends from enemies in the covie missions. I end up killing all my allies since I'm so used to just braining anything that isn't human.
New Weapons and Vehicles: They are awesome I have to say. I love the beam sword (but I wish it didn't have charges in campaign). My only gripe is that they totally ruined the banshee. It is very hard to fly since you can't hold backwards and "hover" above the enemies shooting down on them.
Multiplayer: It's addictive. You will lose sleep. Especially for xbox live. Multiplayer is the main thing that they improved with halo 2.
Overall: Halo is a great xbox classic. Therefore Halo 2 needs to be purchased simply out of nostalgia. It is like all other fps now with crazy online play and mediocre campaigns. Bungie could've made it better, but it's still a good buy. | video-games_xbox |
How do you not finish a masterpiece. So I was a late buyer of this game. I had time to see the bad reviews mentioning the bugs, and I assumed the people were a little too nit picky, that was not a correct assumption.
I fell in love with the original Mercs. It was open, you could still stuff, you had AI buddies that would help somewhat. It was easy to find tanks of choppers that you wanted, I rarely paid for anything. So this was a no brainer for me. However, this is truly a step back for the series I will list some of the most annoying.
The voice acting is horrible. I played as the spiky hair guy and had to mute it. Just awful
I could be shot for hours on certain plays (I think there is a bug) and then other times one shot would kill me.
The voice acting of those who ride with you, they have to say something every five seconds, and they only have four or five sayings (I think you see the issue.)
The fact the AI will shoot at the person with a pistol instead of the tank heading at you.
Anti-aircraft machine gun type weapons that fire homing missles (What it is a gun, not a missle launcher.)
The lack of adequate programming. You can take an enemy helicopter and go to an enemy base, pick up a tank or AA truck, dump it in a river, then attach the base. Not sure why this bothers me, but bad.
Some of the objs are impossible, one that sticks on my mind is the person on an oil rig that you must capture. Problem is there is an enemy helicopter that will attack you with missile, which destroys the oil rig.
All of the weird getting stuck bugs.......
I enjoyed the game, but when it concluded with 1.5 minutes of X,Y,X,A,B,Y and if I missed a single press, I had to start over 15 minutes of work lost... I was sad and that is how the game ended. If you want to drive around and blow stuff up, you will enjoy it for about 5 to 6 hours, if you want anything else, you will enjoy it for about 1 - 2 hours. | video-games_xbox |
First XBox Console I've had in years. I want to start this off by indicating that I am not a hard core gamer. I had the original XBox years ago. It died. I didn't get another one until last week when I decided to get an XBox One. One of the reasons I waited is because I don't trust brand new consoles and I was right, there were numerous issues upon the initial release. When I went to the Amazon site and read the reviews of this one, I saw that several reviewers remarked that the issues, for the most part, have been fixed. So I decided to give it a try.
First of all, a 1 TB console with the complete Halo series at this price is awesome. At the time I bought the console there was a list of over 100 games that could be chosen for free. One of the reasons I bought this was to play Mortal Kombat X, which was on the free list. That made it even better. So the value for the money is definitely there.
Since I haven't used an XBox since the original, I see the controller is a bit different. Actually, I have to admit, I think I like these controllers better than any of the consoles. Just my opinion.
Setup is easy. Since the system already uses a Windows 8 backdrop it has a familiar interface. I could already use my regular login so I didn't need a new account. If you decide to get XBox Live, Amazon has the 12 month subscription cards the cheapest I've ever seen them (I think I paid about 43 bucks for mine).
As far as features go, just like the other consoles, this unit doubles as a DVD/Blu-Ray player, video streaming device, etc. You can install Netflix, Hulu+, etc, just like on any other Windows 8 machine or other consoles.
At the time I got this, there was only one, 275 MB update. By what I've heard, some of the past updates have been huge (several GB). I was excited to get the system and didn't want to have to wait hours for an update and fortunately, I didn't, this update was quick so it's a relatively up to date OS. The included Halo collection must be downloaded though, it doesn't come with the disc (there is a code card included). Not a big deal, you just have to run the download before you get to play. In my case, I just played Mortal Kombat X, which I had gotten on disc.
As far as accessories go, I immediately bought a second controller with the charge pack, a charge pack for the controller that came with the system, silica gel covers for the controllers (I have tile floor, I don't want them to break), and a media remote (mainly to give it a feel of a regular media player for my son when he wants to watch stuff on it, the thing wasn't all that expensive and it's quite durable). It comes with a 14 day trial for XBox Live so if you're new to it like I was, you can try it out first before you buy a subscription (again, I'd recommend buying the 1 year subscription code or card on Amazon as it tends to go on sale for significantly less than the stores and you don't have to input your credit card number for auto charging and renewing).
Overall, I'm glad I got this system. I haven't had it long so I'm hoping it withstands the test of time far better than my first XBox. It's great though. I'll be getting more games for it in the near future! | video-games_xbox |
Great gameplay, lots to discover, long-lasting. This game is a lot of fun. I'm a dad, and I have a 5-year old daughter. I have been playing my own garden and have been helping my daughter with her's. This game is generally kid-friendly.
Open-ended games can sometimes get boring, but so far, after countless hours of playing since Christmas, I'm not tired of this game yet, and I still have a lot to discover and explore. The game has sufficient guidance -- meaning that the characters will guide you through some of the gameplay, and there is a journal that contains a wealth of information. If you need to look anything up, the information is readily available...and the information is only specific to your current game.
Graphics are great -- it's very three-dimensional and realistic, and the various pinatas all have their own personalities. They do the things you expect that kind of animal to do. In terms of "real-time" play, the game engine does a great job of tracking multiple things...pinatas "romancing", plants growing, other pinatas visiting...etc. There's a lot going on in this game, and at times, it can seem quite overwhelming. But that is part of the challenge.
In terms of challenges, there are a lot of "achievements" to reach. It takes quite some time to reach some of them, but this extends the playability of the game. The randomness is good -- you can create different gardens and handle them differently, and you get different results. This was evident with my daughter's garden, when she attracted Pinatas that I had not attracted to my garden. Different combinations and different variables yield different results.
There are some bugs in the game, and at times they can be quite annoying. Pinatas sometimes get stuck between items, things get in the way of other things, etc. I'm also not happy with the "transitions" between opening menus, but I guess this is "eye candy" added so that the system can load data in the background. Sometimes I just wish it would run "faster".
There are a lot of things to try, and a lot of things to find. Overall it is a great game with great long-term playing potential. It's not perfect, though, and I find it odd that some of the problems that so many other people report made it through their quality testing. | video-games_xbox |
An FPS with barely any ammo? What the. I'm only referring to the campaign here as I don't buy the Halo titles for the MP.
Plainly put, there's never enough ammo in Halo 4. A large majority of my time is spent constantly scrounging after every skirmish for rounds, and that's just to use any weapon, not just the one I currently have. I can't fight with the arms I desire and always have to switch every few minutes (if I'm lucky). There've been occasions I've had to restart checkpoints because both of my guns ran dry in the middle of a fight and I had nothing but melee attacking. This is an FPS whose sole focus is on shooting things; it's not Deus Ex where the gunplay compliments the whole package. In Halo, gunplay IS the package. Running out of ammo should not even be a possibility unless one is making a point of being wasteful. I once picked up a Needler only to find that it had a whopping 17 rounds of ammunition in it. SEVENTEEN. Hell, why not just make it five? I killed one Elite and was forced to find a replacement. Once I found a shotgun with 12. What is the point???
I just can't play this game.....it is not fun due solely to this issue. Ammo consumption/distribution is incredibly imbalanced as the amount of rounds one must use to kill an enemy is disproportionate to the amount of ammo the game affords the player. Perhaps 343 wanted to force the people to try out all the weapons instead of the ones they like but this is not the way to do it. I've searched around the net and see this is a fairly common complaint (even in multiplayer) so I know it's not just me. This problem was also present in Reach but not nearly so pronounced. Here it's absurd. Playable? Yes. Fun? No way. It's a damn shame too as if I were able to fight without always having to scan the ground near corpses afterwards for useable weapons Halo 4 would be an enjoyable game. As it is now, it's imbalanced to the point of frustration and tedium and my copy has quickly found its way onto ebay.
The only thing I kept thinking while playing 4 was, "I want to be playing CE". I did so and it felt like restraints had been removed. Maybe a patch will come out that balances this but until then this game suffers and I can't recommend it on this aspect alone. | video-games_xbox |
First time playing a game like this. Great first impression. Amazing game, but of course, this is based on the fact that I have never played a game like this before nor the previous games in the metro series. I won't go into detail for this game because there are a lot of things that could be said that others have already said in giant essays. Great game that has a few jump scares here and there. There is a play-your-way theme that is similar to Dishonored- meaning you can basically go stealth, go guns blazing, or do a little of both. It's a bad idea to go guns blazing because of scarcity of money and ammo. It's a pretty cool story, but it didn't really strike me as anything especially great because you don't really feel any connection with the characters other than the every-so-often "oh I feel bad for the Dark One."
What took a star off of this game are two different things. The first is that, for me, sometimes I was stuck on areas in the game because I had NO IDEA where I had to go and I ended up watching YouTube walkthroughs to get past those parts. The other problem was, although this happened only once, there may come a part where you have almost no air and a checkpoint will be activated. In this case, you will be running in circles looking for air while trying to figure out where to go, only to replay it about a million times because you keep suffocating to death. Sure you can restart the level I guess and try to do better, but this was really frustrating. I'm sure not many people would have this problem, but just make sure you always have a ton of air on hand.
So should you get the game? Definitely. It was an amazing experience for me, despite the slight frustration here and there. It was fun to play, scary at some points which made it even better, and it was just very different from most games I've played in the past. How accurate is my review? It's a gamer's review, but I mainly play RPG and FPS games so take it as you will. | video-games_xbox |
Almost an awesome gaming headset, with one major issue. I ended up returning my unit to Amazon, I was waffling on giving it a one or two star review and decided on two for what I think is overall a great product, but with one major issue that I couldn't live with.
Pros:
*Real-time monitoring! This works great, there's no delay at all, so it's better than literally every other gaming headset. If you normally hate monitoring, you might hate this too! But it's better than every other headset you've tried, so give it a shot. If you still hate it, I don't think you can turn it off.
*Build quality - these headphones feel sturdy, have actual metal in places, a nice foam cover, and hinges/swivels that feel like they will last
*They work across all platforms - yes you need a wire for Xbox, but that's Xbox's fault (and otherwise would raise the price of this unit to match something like an Astro A50.)
*Microphone - I'm listing it as a pro, and also as a con. It sounds great though, and seems very accurate (i.e., you will sound more like 'yourself' through this mic)
*Setup - setup was easy enough, the instructions were well written. If you are having issues with operation/control from a PS4 (this is what I used primarily) then you didn't follow ALL of the instructions.
Cons:
*Microphone - there's a reason you can scroll down and find windscreens as other items people have bought with this - it DRASTICALLY needs a windscreen. Like, if you buy this, buy the windscreen 2-pack for 6 bucks too without hesitation. It's horrible without one. Every p is plosive, hissing, all of the bad noises that could be picked up are picked up. It's both a blessing of the mic and a downside as they didn't include windscreens.
*Pairing button - the pairing button requires a pin or paperclip and is recessed into the wireless dongle. WHY?!?! I spent more time trying to find something that would fit into this hole than I did the entire rest of setup. The first paperclip I tried was slightly too big, I had to use a safety pin, which I didn't like but it seemed not to damage the button/insides.
*Dongle size - first, teehee at 'dongle size' because I am a child. Second, I was using a PS4 Pro, and the dongle is thick enough (teehee again) that you have to really cram it into one of the front USB ports for it to fit, and if the plastic piece of the PS4 Pro around the ports on the front didn't have the flex that it does, they wouldn't fit. For my purposes, I plugged it into the back USB port next to the optical audio output, because it's pretty long and sticks out a lot if you use the front port.
*Feedback/hum/hiss - this is why I returned the headset. I have not tried it wired, but the wireless audio had a very loud hiss/hum just being on. I tried operating without the mic being plugged in, and still had the same hiss. I'm sure there's a technical term for it that someone might know, but essentially this seemed like the minimum noise of the unit just being powered on/amplified. Wired, the unit uses amplification from the device, so it's not using its built-in battery/amplification, so I assume it would not buzz that way and had a friend who bought the unit too confirm they didn't hear it wired. Wireless however, which, honestly is why I bought it, the noise is so loud that it is audible unless you turn the volume up very loud. I could hear it over game/chat audio until I turned it up almost all the way, which for me was too loud. Sound quality was good for a stereo headset at high volume, and probably even at low volume, but the hum was unacceptable at low volumes for me.
You may have a different experience, and I will update this as soon as my friend has a chance to test his out wirelessly to see if he had the same issue (maybe this was just a defective unit?), but because of this I would not recommend the headset to anyone who isn't planning on playing at max volume all the time. | video-games_xbox |
Its OK. I have been playing ace combat games sense ace combat 5. (this is the 7th ace combat in the series) It is very different if you are used to how the older ace combat games were. Game play could be better. Come on! you can do a barrel role in a helicopter but not in a fighter jet??? In ace combat 1 through 6 and in ace combat 0 they allowed you to perform much more maneuvers. It is more annoying leveling the aircraft using the bumper bottoms (B1 and B2 at the same time) It makes you crash into the ground when you try to level off. it forces you into a vertical position when its automatically leveling off based on your position so do this more at a high altitude.
The missions are pretty fun and they give you a large number of aircraft to choose from. They include other aircraft like the AC-130U Spooky AH64 Black hawk helicopter and the cobra attack helicopter. For bombing missions you get to choose between the B2 Spirit stealth bomber and the B1 Lancer bomber. The dog fighting mode is pretty tough but you warm up to it through out the game. They include all of the original aircraft from the other games they even brought back the CFA 44. it was an experimental aircraft from ace combat 6 built by Estovokian military.
The story Is pretty entertaining and somewhat realistic. You are fighting against a Russian rebel group that is against the NATO forces and the United States and its up to your team to stop them from launching a deadly experimental weapon at the United States After beating the game on easy you get to use a Sukoi PAK-FA a Russian stealth fighter with the option of arming it with the weapon. The weapon is called trinity. A very powerful possibly nuclear warhead. You only get to use four of them sense more would be overkill in most missions. I also like how you can customize the color of your planes. you also get to choose between three missile smoke colors; white, black and red. All in all its a good game but I just wish they had made the game play more like the other ace combat games. | video-games_xbox |
Collector's Edition BOXED SET review. REVIEW EDIT 3/6/2013:
I have downgraded my review from 4* to 2* after having finished the single-player campaign. While my original assertions on the quality of everything included in the Collector's Edition box-set still stand, I just cannot ignore how HORRIBLE the game is - and in particular, the ending. The game may have passed as a 3* game if it were not for the ending - but as it is, it's like they just got bored and decided to end it. No climax, no grand battle, nothing. It's really, really terrible. So, so sad right now.
It should be said that the $99 Collector's Edition version of this game is an absolute MUST HAVE for Aliens fans and fans of the franchise in general. It comes with a beautiful, VERY well painted model of a marine in a power loader grappling with a xenomorph, and a great looking background from the shuttle bay on the Sulaco/Sephora for it (read: dropships!:-). This model stands probably 7" tall, too - so it's not small-fry stuff. The distressing on the loader and paint job on the alien are top-notch - very impressive.
It also comes with a load of other fun, atmosphere-inducing stuff. There is a confidential, thread-selaed USCM envelope with an authentic 1980s-style dot-matrix, holed-punch printout of your mission summary and expectations aboard the Sephora, a crappy polaroid image of what looks like foreign objects (eggs) on LV-426 (crappy polaroid = brilliantly authentic, they did their research), and a very nice semi-transparent blueprint sheet for the USCM ship Sephora - which is pretty much identical to the Sulaco from the movie.
Additionally, there are two DLC code pamphlets included for free in-game content, and two very attractive US-Colonial Marine fabric patches on a card that says "Must be applied to uniform before entering battle". Very cool.
As far as the game goes - I have played a little of multiplayer so far and have not completed the campaign. It seems like a solid rendering of the Aliens universe and locations. In multiplayer, you seem to be forced to play as a xenomorph for at least half of the time. I don't like this. Who wants to do that?!?? I want to be Hicks, or Apone, or my own marine - shooting my pulse rifle and taking xeno names! Who wouldn't, with the authentic firing sound of the rifles? So yeah - that's a bit disappointing......I would far rather fight cooperatively with online players to achieve a goal (ala-Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer) than battle it out against them in turns.
The graphics seem to leave a bit to be desired - but as a devout fan I can overlook that and I wasn't expecting Final Fantasy-style cinematics here. Sega are graying around the edges and nobody can deny it. I will see how the single-player campaign goes and amend my review accordingly once I have finished it.
Being a pretty hardcore female gamer, I am **VERY** disappointed in the initial lack of playable female characters. They have introduced Drake, Apone, Hudson and Hicks as DLC characters. What about Vasquez??!?? Nobody can think of Aliens without thinking Vasquez - it. Just. Doesn't. Happen. But it feels like - because she's a girl - she was automatically excluded from the game. What??
Anyway - I will give myself more time with this game to see how it fully pans out. But the Collector's Edition boxed set is *beautiful*, ladies!! | video-games_xbox |
Great Game, But. I really do love some parts of this game and the storyline of your character. After hearing the good reviews I thought I should try this game that will torment you on death after death but if you put enough effort than you are a god. After playing for four hours, my character is yet not strong enough to get out of the first area (not the intro). If I go too far out, a boss (with little warning) will kill me in one or two blows. Or even two boney monsters will pop up and kill me. So this left me with little choice on farming the same weak monsters over and over and over again... For hours upon hours upon hours. Sometimes they will gain up on me and kill me, I didn't mind that very much unless I had gathered a ton of souls and I was able to get back to it. The only thing that annoys me in the game is how easy it is to fall into the abyss of the clouds. Some stairways do not have rails so you have to be careful. Sometimes monsters will attack you on those stairways, cliffs, roofs, or even places you cannot get to. Which, if you don't know where they are or how to get out of there quick enough/kill them fast enough, you will fall and loose those souls forever, unable to take them back (40% chance their will be a blood pool, but not always).
The pros: You can level up and be god. Kill as much monsters as you desire. Mold your guy into any fighting style you so choose (aka different weapons, armor, skills, ect).
The cons: Hours upon hours of repeating the same task in order to gain two levels. Bosses guarding certain areas (you won't know they are a boss unless someone left you a tip or it kills you in one hit). Any player, that pays xbox 360 if you are using that and same with you, can enter your game to help or kill you (mostly kill because 8-17 year olds are living the killer life). When you level up, you can only increase one stat by one point (and there are a lot of different stats). You may get bored of dying and noticed that 2 hours are drained from your clock (could be a pro for others).
If you like to play a game where you do the same thing in a row over and over again, lots of leveling, maybe one day be a super god, having nothing to do with yourself, or/and like to kill yourself for fun (I have a brother that does that in video games, kind of weird) than this is your kind of game. This is a very hardcore game for people that believe video games are their profession (I say that because it must take them at least a month of 3 hour play per day or 2 weeks for 7 hours a play per day) so be sure you know what you are getting yourself into.
P.s. After the first non-stop playing week on this game, you may enjoy it more because you can go back and kill those bosses that murdered your face when you were a baby zombie. | video-games_xbox |
People made better maps back when they still thought the world was flat. I bought this game knowing it would be a redux of MW2, I didn't care as I enjoyed that game. COD has always been a game that I could easily pick up and play for a few hours a couple of times a week. The good news is that this game still runs smooth as butter and has the same smooth controls. The bad news is that the new maps are all garbage (well ok not all of them, but you get the point). Its a total --to borrow a phrase from Fantastic Mr. Fox-- "Clustercuss". The maps are decently sized, but they're also cramped and claustrophobic. Way too many small alleys and corridors that eliminate the ability to get a feel for where the opposition is coming from.
Any indoor/enclosed area is a death trap, apparently in the world of COD there are building laws and building codes that require every wall in every structure to have at least one door and one window. Meanwhile the open areas are full of boxes, crates, burning cars, and yes even ANOTHER downed helicopter (really? we already played Crash twice). The turf war aspect of multiplayer is what I enjoyed about COD4 and MW2, that dynamic is sorely missing from this game, basically you run around and hope that when you come across someone you are behind them, and not the other way around.
When I go to the firing range I don't go there to shoot targets four feet away, if I wanted if i wanted to that I'd go play Lasertag with a bunch of 11 year olds, which is think is actually the age demographic this game is trying to appeal to.
If you are going to release what is essentially a re-do of your old game at least create some new and interesting maps. If you've ever played paintball at a speedball/indoor course then you know how every map will play out in this game, except that when you play indoor paintball people don't magically spawn 10 feet behind you.
COD we had some fun together, we knew it wouldn't last forever, and we've both changed. I'd love to tell you that it's not you, it's me, but that would be a lie. It's you. Sorry. Now go make me a sandwich | video-games_xbox |
You can tell it wasn't made by Capcom. When I purchased this game I expected something similar to Resident evil 5. Needless to say that didn't have to be a bad thing but in the case of this game it was.
Graphics: Graphics are great and the player won't be dissapointed
Gameplay: First of all I would like to point out that this game had some great ideas but they weren't did right or too limited. There were multiple versions of guns but they all sort of felt the same to me, and in some cases the guns even felt underpowered to me. Then there's the fact that the player is only allowed to carry 2 guns at a time which I thought ridiculous considering that anyone whose job was to go into the chaos that was Raccoon City would go in armed with only 2 measly weapons and only be able to carry 2 at a time. Though the melee combat is very nice to execute in this game.
The in-game classes for example soldier, medic, and scientist are very interesting and great ideas but overall the abilities that come with each class are too restricted for the player to have any real fun with them. Going against B.O.W.s is always the strong suit of a resident evil game so when the series is invaded by numerous generic soldier like enemies, it dilutes the experience to feeling like just some generic shooter game, while all Resident evil games should feel like more than just a shooter. Had the human enemies only been done a few times and been executed in such as way that made the overall experience acceptable, they might have added something special to the series but sadly they didn't.
Occasionally there will be scripted chases and while some may enjoy this not all will. There are many cases where the player meets up with other characters well known in the series which could be another plus. While some of the game's enemies are too tough to die, I do think that the behavior of the B.O.W.s was done right. If you're looking to play this game in local co-op with another then you won't be able too, which hurts what could have been a fun local experience. The game only allows online co-op but at least it goes up to four players online. Also if the xbox 360 version is what you are playing then you will need to pay for xbox live before you can even use the co-op or multiplayer which is bad because when this game first came out people were paying 60 dollars for a full game only to be given half of it with co-op and multi-player locked behind a pay wall. Speaking of half a game. This game only comes with the story campaign for the umbrella hired bad guys, if the player wants to play as the good guys they will have to pay for those missions. | video-games_xbox |
XBox's Best Driving Game That Is Not For Everyone. Introduction
A very good looking driving game that focuses on Rally Racing with different game options (point-to-point rally, hill-climbing, ice-racing, cross-rally). The games have enough variety of courses and cars to keep you happy, BUT not the excitement and satisfaction like those offerred by Gran Turismo 2. Rally racing is different from street or tarmac racing games (GT series). It is NOT for everyone!
Graphics 9.5
The environment and terrains are AMAZING! I just love how the tracks are seemlessly blended into the environment. Car models are good, the effects on the vehicles are great, but it is STILL plagued by jagginess (bumpy, unsmooth linings) like in PlayStation games in a lesser degree. I replay races just to look at the beautifully rendered semi-interactive environment, and lighting, shading effects reflected so smoothly off beautiful vehicles.
Sound 8.5
Engine and environmental sounds are sampled and created very nicely. You definitely need to adjust the settings in the option screen to get an enjoyable mix of music, engine, and environmental sound. The soundtrack is negligible. The option to have your own soundtrack makes this game almost ten times more enjoyable. I have to emphasize that the option to play your own soundtrack is so great that it warrants the purchase of an XBox for me before, and it still kicking it for me.
Gameplay 8.5
It can be as shallow as you want it to be or as deep. That means you can just jump in and have some fun, or spend countless hours perfecting those power-slides.
Presentation 8
Overall, the game is enjoyable. It has every elements that make it a very good game. The menu system needs more work for sure. The unlocking and extra features could be better.
Lasting Appeal 8
Once you complete the career mode and unlock those vehicles (most of them you don't even care), it is quite hard to find any incentive to keep on playing except for the graphics and your own soundtrack. With Sega GT, Pro Racer Driver on the horizon, RSC will keep you happy and busy until then.
Closing Comment
Overall, I give this game an 8.5. It is NOT better than Gran Turismo. It IS the best racing game currently for XBox. With Pro Race Driver and Sega GT2 on the horizon, this game should keep you happy and busy. I accredit RSC as the game that inspires future XBox driving games to be made better. I do not get the same state of euphoria when I first play the jaggy Gran Turismo. My recommendation is only buy this game if you are Rally fan, rent it first if you are just a driving game fan. | video-games_xbox |
Better than Turismo? Maybe so. The comparisons between Forza Motorsport and Gran Turismo (for PS2) are inevitable, and for good reason. Sim racing fans have long praised the Turismo series for delivering something that most racing games seem to lack- a true "Career" mode where you buy cars from scratch, upgrade them like real autos, and customize their handling with real-world touches. Not to mention the literally hundreds of hours of potential gameplay, depending on how you race your way through the events. So which game is better- Forza or Gran Turismo? (For this review, I'll be using GT4 for comparison.) To the uninitiated, both would be excellent choices. Both games have stellar graphics, incredible realism, and oodles of strategy. But- if you haven't figured out where this is going yet- Forza winds up being the winner by a long shot.
What Forza does better:
-Graphically, Forza's real-time rendering tops Turismo's use of actual photos or pre-rendered bits to create an illusion of better graphics. Even while actually rendering most everything you see, Forza's graphics remain as good or better than Turismo.
-Forza has a much easier learning curve thanks to its excellent helper tools. The "preferred line" feature appears on the track, turning from red to green in real-time to show you when you're going too fast to safely navigate a turn. Even veterans can use the line to help memorize the trickier parts of new tracks. Other features from the Anti-Lock Brakes system to the Traction Control can be toggled at the user's whim, and turning off these options will even increase your winnings in the Career mode. Yes, learning how to "drive right" actually pays off in this game. Customizing these options will keep the game fresh whether you're completely new to the genre or a long-time veteran.
-Forza doesn't have license tests. In Turismo, you have to pass supremely annoying and nearly senseless license tests to continue your Career. These often involve strict time limits coupled with cars that drive like the Titanic, if the Titanic had wheels made out of butter. In Forza, you acquire new events by having the right cars for a specific race (still necessary in Turismo) or by levelling up- which is accomplished by simply racing more to increase your earnings. Levelling up even comes with bonuses, like free cars and price reductions on parts.
What Turismo does better, and why Forza still shines:
-GT4 has many more cars spanning a wider range of interests. However, some of these cars aren't worth driving (a few Model-T era contraptions barely move at all) and a few aren't drivable at all (some cars have track or mode restrictions, meaning they literally can't be driven). Forza has enough cars to keep almost anyone happy, with a catalogue running back to the 60s, and including the big names like Ferrari. Only die-hard will really be seeking more.
I could go on:
Forza tops Turismo in pretty much any aspect imaginable. As an added bonus, the Xbox controller's triggers allow for much smoother acceleration and braking than the PS2's buttons. And I didn't even mention the amazing paint mechanic! You can customize your car's paint from a library of colors, and then apply up to 600 decals (on one car!) using a fully-featured shaping tool that, with practice, will allow you to do anything with your car's paint from replicating a real racer to drawing murals of 8-bit Nintendo characters (I've done both). And yes, your customized paint scheme shows up in all races. Turismo lacks damage modeling, while Forza lets you toggle it from "Off" to "Simulation", where hard hits will even warp your steering. Forza's computer cars seem to have much more competitive AI, with cars that actually try to avoid running you (or them) off the road if possible. The list goes on!
Bottom Line:
Forza might just be the best sim racing game ever made. The learning curve helpers allow anyone to jump in and try out the fun, while the depth of customization will please any sim fan. The library of tracks, modes, and cars will keep even die-hards happy. What more could you ask for? Forza 2, of course. | video-games_xbox |
Honest Review from a non-gamer. To start off I previously owned two PS3's, the main reason I owned the PS3's were for there Blu-Ray and other media capabilities. So I was very excited to learn that the XBOX ONE main selling point was that it was to be the center of your home media center, with voice control, a built in tv guide (one guide), an app channel which was very cool by the way. After reading everything this unit was supposed to do I was very excited when it finally arrived, as someone who is going to eventually going to cut the cable subscription, I'm always looking at new replacements for my set top box. Now as any man can tell you simply opening the box on a new piece of electronic technology is an absolute joy, shiny black and new. Hooking everything up was fairly simple and straight forward, the XBOX One comes with it own HDMI cord, and after a few connections I was ready to go. The XBOX did some downloads / updates and I was ready to start setting it up to watch live tv through my XBOX One and comcast cable box, immediately there were a few problems the XBOX could not mute my TV even though it did recognize my TV, also theres no option or instructions to set your XBOX one up if you have an audio receiver controlling the sound for your TV you can go back and add it later but there should be an option in the initial set-up, as adding it later did not solve the problem of the XBOX One not being able to control the volume on my TV as it was supposed to. I was still able to get XBOX One's live TV guide to work and it even was able to go to channel that I told it too. Next on to the voice control feature, I found it awkward, inconsistent and unreliable, sometimes it would work, I found myself walking right up to the kinect trying to get it to respond with no result and as someone who frequently sits up late night on the weekend it wouldn't make my family happy if I was yelling at my XBOX one at 1 in the morning. My biggest problem with the one guide is that its small it stretches across about 70 percent of my screen and no option to make it bigger, my cable boxes guide goes across my entire screen, now that might not be a big deal for a twenty something, but for my aging eyes I needed it bigger and besides for 500 bucks it wouldn't have taken much for Microsoft to add an option for making the guide bigger. Now for the deal breaker, after setting the system up and turning it off, upon restarting the unit I received a error from the cable box that my DVI/HDMI signal was blocked, I had to completed up plug my cable box and after 20 minutes the signal returned, I thought this to be an isolated incident but the next day it happened again. I went to the internet for a quick solution and found that this is a common issue with the XBOX one, as I found many post about issues with losing the signal when using the live TV option on the XBOX one, I also read that in the UK its a huge problem, I'm sure Microsoft will fix the issue soon but its been out two months and its making one of the main selling points of the XBOX one unusable so it would seem like it would have received crisis mode status for getting this issue fixed. As someone who rarely plays a game on my game consoles and mainly own them for their media aspects, so back in the box my XBOX One went and back to Amazon, I will probably take a look at the XBOX One again later this year to see if the issue has been fixed as the XBOX One is very exciting and ambitious product that I've seen in years and is truly ground breaking but until the live TV issue is fixed, this mighty ambitious undertaking by Microsoft is not quite ready for prime time in your living room. | video-games_xbox |
A love letter to the fans. I've been a fan of saints row almost from the beginning. I missed the first game, but <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Saints-Row-2-Xbox-360/dp/B000ZKDOV2/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Saints Row 2 - Xbox 360</a> still ranks among my absolute favorite games of all time. It was fast, fun, funny, violent, but had a tense, engaging story with likeable characters, rounding out the experience. It is that last element that was missing from the third iteration. While <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Saint-s-Row-The-Third-Xbox-360/dp/B004QEV0MI/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Saint's Row: The Third - Xbox 360</a> was still fast, fun, and violent, it was missing a lot of the funny. Worse yet, the vibrant engaging characters from the second seemed muted and generic. I am beyond happy to say that has been addressed with Saints Row 4.
Right off the bat, the over the top feel of the game hits you hard and never lets up. You are the president of the United States and it is your job to stop evil aliens from taking over the world. You fail; spectacularly at that. You and all of your friends are imprisoned in a virtual prison, and this is where the fun begins. Because the world is virtual, you now have access to super powers, the two most prevalent among them being super speed and hulk jumping, for lack of a better term. This, unfortunately, is also where the games biggest problem comes in.
Saints Row 4 is a big, ambitious game, and I respect what they were trying to do. The super powers are cool and well implemented, but the overall structure of the game remains unchanged from past iterations. Sections of the virtual city are still called "Hoods", your friends, now politicians, celebrities, and secret agents, are still referred to as your "homies". You still have access to your "gang", despite the fact that they become all but useless against most enemies in the game half way through. Despite having super speed and, thanks to the glide ability, practically being able to fly, too many missions find reasons for you to be in vehicles, which are not nearly as enjoyable to use as your powers are. Unfortunately, at least with my copy, lag was a huge issue when jumping, because the game autosaved every five seconds, making platforming far more difficult that it needed to be, and marring the overall immersion of the game.
Worse yet, the game is still littered with mini games, many of them hit or miss. Racing through cramped side streets, terribly unenjoyable platforming sections, insurance fraud (ugh), mayhem sections (UGH), and terrifyingly enough vehicle mayhem sections (WHY!?), are among the many mini games that dangle valuable upgrades in front of you, that are only unlockable after getting difficult to earn gold medals. To add insult to injury all of these mini games are saddled with an arbitrary time limit, ensuring that, if by some miracle, you actually enjoy any of these diversions, the extra stress of having to do it quickly will sap that enjoyment right out.
This game could have been great but Volition wasn't willing to shake conventional staples to the genre. Thankfully however, the rest of the game is fantastic. The story related missions are all quite engaging and the story is absolutely crazy, made all the better by the triumphant return of the characters that you knew and loved from the first two games. Volition even went as far as to address issues such as "Why did Shandi go from fun to frumpy between games 2 &3?" and "What's Pierce's problem?". Incredible dialogue, tons of character development, and a metric ton of call backs, inside jokes, and awesome sing a longs of the radio remind you why you fell in love with these characters in the first place.
By now, you'll have noticed that the positive points of my review revolve around knowing about the past games. To fully enjoy this game, it is best to have played the games that came before. If you've at least played through, and beaten, the second game though, that should suffice. This final game in the series is an excellent cap to a strange series, loaded with generous heaps of fan service for long time players. While it is totally possible to enjoy it without having played what came before, you will be lacking valuable context, and the lions share of the jokes and in game dialogue will go totally over your head. My favorite moment in the game was when the playa and Pierce are driving along and begin to sing along with one of their favorite songs. A certain person does something that doesn't sit well with them, and it was one of the funniest moments in any game I've ever played, mostly because I recognized the callback from the second game.
Saints Row is a fun game, with great ideas, serviceable execution, and brilliant story and dialogue. While having played the past three games aren't required, I would strongly suggest completing the second game for the much needed context, and also because it is the best game in the series. All in all, Saints Row 4 is an enjoyable, if technically flawed, gem of a game that is fun for most, but sensational for fans. If you like the series, this is a must buy. | video-games_xbox |
Honest, Thorough Review of Afunta Letton G5 Headset. WOW! A gaming headset that is comfortable, sturdy, looks good, clear, simple to use, and has high decibels AND quality noise for LESS than twenty bucks?? Too good to be true???
Sort of. Kind of. Maybe?
I was personally really excited about this headset. I not-so-recently stepped on my SteelSeries headset, which I cherished as a part of my gaming experiences, and was dealing without it for a few months. I decided it was time to settle on a low-end headset that would suit my needs as a gamer: Loud, quality noise, and the ability to talk smack/ communicate with my teammates. Simple, right?
Ill start off by saying it arrived on time and undamaged, as promised. The box is a nicely coated hard cardboard. It was not sealed with a sticker, or tape, which made opening super easy. The Headset itself, inside the box, had its own bubble wrap sack, with all of the mentioned adapters twist-tied onto the end of the cord. The actual cord has a dedicated volume nob on it. These are pretty light-weight, but I didn't expect them to be on the heavy side. Made of plastic, this headset seems a bit rickety, but sturdy enough to not just fall apart. I don't see a little rough play harming it too much. I wouldnt do the drop test on anything solid, more than ten feet. (Ten feet? Is that even a thing people do? Geez)
Since I was cleaning, and didn't have time to plug it in to either of my Xboxs or computer, I wanted to check em out right away. I put to the side all of the attachments (Xbox 360 controller adapter, Green audio and red mic aux cords for computer), and put the 3.5mm Aux input to my Android phone, and picked a good (to me, anyway) sound check song. I listen to all music, but decided metal is always a good indicator of quality sound (lots of high to mid, and powering low end). I must say, it wasn't so much that it sounds too bassy, but more that the highs just aren't high enough. Someone without a whole lot of serious music listening/editing/playing experience won't know the difference, but for you sound guys out there... As far as volume, it didn't get to the point where I felt the need to turn it down but settled the need for loud music. Its not sound to brag about, but I wouldnt call it bad quality. Keep in mind, were spending less than $20.00 to include shipping on these bad boys.
As a man with a large head, these headphone fit me just fine. The ear cups are big enough to consume my whole ear just fine. Are they the comfiest? No, but I can imagine the issue would be getting warm ears before getting sore ears. The cups are fitted loosely onto the head band to form to your head/side-face, with adjustable band length.
Moving on to the Xbox 360 test: I use the text pad on my 360, because sending messages is always easy with a pad. The 360 adapter cannot be used on with the pad, because of the two prongs intended for the controller itself. 1st Bummer. Without the pad, it slipped right on into the controller no problem, however, it doesnt seem absolutely snug/secured/tight/whatever you want to call it. But, connected nonetheless. By my prediction, it is ONLY player communication. It is NOT something to listen to your game with. Im pretty sure that has to do with the controller and the way the 360 is set up, not the fault of the headset. Needless to say, I didn't hear any complaints from the helpless prey on the other end about crappy mic noises, and I could hear them just fine.
The Xbox One, however, is a different story. The updated Xbox One controllers have a standard 3.5mm jack that allows gameplay audio and player communication. To my surprise, the audio was very quiet. It was clear, and I could hear all the booms and bangs and sprinting around. Even with that volume wheel turned to max, however, it just wasn't the in-your-face volume like we all want. Again, clear communication to and from my teammates, although I have to wonder how, considering the how far the microphone seems to be away from my face.
I have not hooked these up to my computer, because of broken computer reasons.
I might update, but I think the message is clear:
7.5\10
For a budget headset, this will do. You cannot complain about anything when purchasing an item like this for LESS THAN TWENTY BUCKS, and for that price, Id say you're getting more than a decent backup headset that will do what you want it to do for the time being.
Thanks for reading! | video-games_xbox |
If you have Madden 15, don't buy this. Now I'm not one to delve deep into games and all the modes included, however with this one it would be a struggle anyway. Having not played this game for more than three hours I can't tell you every little nuance that may be different from Madden 15, but I can tell you they are very, very similar. Of course we all know that EA isn't going to put a whole lot of work into 360/PS3 games as next gen is the main focus. However they could at least give us some bug fixes or smooth out a few rough edges, but no. Instead, I can pretty much call this review Madden 15/16 as all that was noticeably added was a roster update. Now please realize this review is for the Xbox 360 version and not the Xbox One because I hear the XB1 version is one of the best Maddens of all time.
This game (along with its predecessor) is a solid overall game with good gameplay, decent 3rd gen graphics, and some not too shabby animations. One thing I was glad to see right off was the menu music that drove me insane on Madden 15 has been revamped with tracks like the ever popular "Can't Feel My Face" by The Weekend, and a couple other hip hop/rap songs that aren't bad. Once you get into gameplay though, you realize that much hasn't changed. Where this game truly falls short, is where it could have gone. As I said before, I'm not one to search game modes, but instead I crave good visuals and gameplay. Many things that have been done for the next gen versions are things Madden fans have been begging for for years and years.
DB/WR interactions, improved physics, and just flat out realism are things I would love to see in a third gen game, but sadly these things are for the XB1 owners to enjoy.
As Madden 16 on the Xbox 360 stands alone I would not spend a significant amount of money on it, as there is no real difference from M15. Fifteen did improve from 25 however regarding things like new D-Line engagements and better Connected Franchise. So I would really go with Madden 15 for a fun football experience without the bells and whistles of the next generation. | video-games_xbox |
How not to make a game. I loved the idea of this game. The Horseman War in battle? What a great concept. Well, the concept is the only great thing about this game. What the makers decided to do instead of making a pure fighting game was instead create a mutt of a game that incorporates WAY too many aspects, and, big surprise, hardly anything is done well. Darksiders is basically a fighting/adventure/puzzle/exploring game topped off with a story that other than using a Horseman of the Apocalypse has no other bearings to the Book of Revelations or anything else from the Christian myth. Yeah, does that sound like trouble to any one else?
So, the fighting. Oh boy, what a mess. I am a Ninja Gaiden fan (1 &2) and consider these games the apex of how to make a fun fighting game. Both of them compelled me to play all the difficulties, including Master Ninja, which is unbelievably difficult to accomplish. But the fighting is so fluid and fun that the challenge is worth the effort. Then there is a game like Darksiders that is the exact opposite of my beloved NG games. The fighting schematic is so thin you will be bored within a couple hours. War's sword is the primary weapon and you use the X button to control it (plus, some RB and direction pad moves). The combos are all pretty short and become tiresome quickly. You can purchase more moves (by collecting souls), but most of those were yawn inducing in no time too. War also has a secondary weapon that is either a scythe or a glove. The scythe is okay, but again the combos are very limited. The glove, however, is a joke (and a dumb weapon idea). On top of this, War also has a throwing star and a pistol (yeah, a pistol, with infinite ammo no less) for long range attacks. Both are so weak though that they are essentially worthless except for very specific uses. The enemy's AI is okay, but the fighting becomes SO repetitive that by the end of the game I was just running past battles.
Then there is the adventure aspect of Darksiders. This too was fouled up. The controls are not very well made for this aspect and this was by far what I disliked the most about this game. War has the sorriest jump of any game in recent memory. War also has the sorriest double jump as well. Plus, the game is notorious for having unresponsive controls when you jump from an edge and instead you just drop to your demise like an idiot (I must have fallen a couple hundred times, really annoying in general and insanely frustrating on some of the puzzles). The game makers decided to add a winged feather option to float War down softly if need be after a jump as well (this feature is handy, but it does add yet another control to remember). Then War also has a grappling arrow and a portal gun (plus the throwing star that is needed quite often) to make his way through the dungeons and landscapes. The problem here is that War is so clunky that these maneuvers are often a battle of controls and do not feel intuitive (or fluid) in the least. And there are so many tools put into use here that it simply overloads the game and bogs down any fun in the process. Plus, War often needs to be in a closer 3rd person mode to do all this stuff (by clicking the right analog stick...I think, can't remember). Then suddenly you are fighting and forget you are in the close in mode which is yet more annoyance. Anyway, just suffice it to say that Prince of Persia was way simpler and more fun for an adventure game where lots of exploring is involved. Heck, so was Crackdown for that matter (lots of running and jumping, but done in a fun and fluid way to keep one interested).
The Puzzles. Let's just say the puzzles were too easy or if not too easy, then made hard because you are trying to jump to a tough spot and keep falling or are hanging from the ceiling and something snatches you, etc. More frustration than fun because of the clunky and way too complicated controls. I typically do not like puzzles in any fighting games because they nearly always suck, and Darksiders is no exception.
The exploring. The world is decently sized in Darksiders with plenty to look at. Too bad exploring it is such a chore since War isn't the least bit nimble. Plus, this game falls into the worn out tactic of having to revisit areas as you acquire more tools. It even has you go all over the place to find pieces for a required sword right before the end of the game. Maybe it's just me, but I hate revisiting maps to explore areas you couldn't reach before. It makes me feel like I am being forced to replay stuff I already did just so the makers can add extra game time. Yawn. You do get to ride Ruin, War's horse, at certain areas of the world, which is nice (although war's horse is supposed to be red according to myth legend, but it is black in the game).
The story. This is where I was really scratching my head. I am not a Christian, but I enjoy some of the myths of the religion when used in fiction (the Exorcist movie for example). Darksiders has no relation to anything from the Apocalypse myths that I am familiar with except breaking seals and War the Horseman. There is heaven and hell, but they are mediated by a neutral third party called the Council that keeps the balance or something. Huh? I don't know who thought up the story of the game, but it isn't good. Samael makes an appearance, and is a key player in War's journey, but I didn't quite get what he was doing in the story (he is the angel of death in Jewish lore). It is like they decided to use War the Horseman, but then just made random crap up from there (including a huge Scottish blacksmith called Black Hammer that I think is a deity, maybe). Anyway, you get the picture. I just see a blown opportunity here to make use of a Horseman in a game. And speaking of War, he is a paper thin character, given absolutely no depth at all. Why do we care about our hero/anti-hero (I don't know which he is)? Beats me. Plus, the tone of the game is uber serious which only makes it seem that much more ridiculous. A game like Bayonetta is also ridiculous, but that was done on purpose for the most part (plus, it is a tongue in cheek style).
To sum up, Darksiders is trying to be way too many things and winds up being pretty bad at them all. A jack-of-all-trades, master of none experience overall (except jack is too high a compliment...fool is more appropriate). Bayonetta is a FAR more enjoyable game because its fighting engine is pretty decent and its controls are nicely done also. Ninja Gaiden 2 blows this game away for its pure fighting, wicked gore, and combo depth (I highly recommend it, but only if you have patience because it is one tough mother of a game). Prince of Persia is also superior for an adventure/explorer game. I suggest you play these other games instead of this mish-mash misfire. | video-games_xbox |
A hidden gem in the bargain bin. Okay, I just picked this up a couple of weeks ago for a remarkably cheap price (it's been out for awhile) and I had pretty meager expectations going in since it came and went without much hoopla. The case wasn't helped with the dumb "Hot Import Nights" subtitle which really brought thoughts of mediocrity to my head.
However, this game is amazing fun! While limited in scope and a tad repetitive, I never got bored with it. The cars handle well and you actually have to use different cars for different events, unlike most other arcade racers where a supercar will dominate all courses without much effort.
It took me about 40 hours to complete the game to 100% completion.
There is *NO* storyline to the game. No cheesy cutscenes a la Need For Speed or Midnight Club. No bosses or bad guys. Nothing. The people you race in the rookie league are the same people you're racing in the elite league. The game is focused solely on racing and drifting.
What I like:
1) The courses are well designed and easy to drive. I didn't find a single "invisible wall" which is prevalent in many racing games, where you hit some unseen obstacle on the side of the track and go bouncing off-course.
2) The difficulty level is perfect, for me at least. Most races can be beaten within 1-5 tries so you're not banging your head for hours trying to get past something.
3) Great selection of cars, from regular Japanese tuner cars to classic muscle cars to boutique supercars like the Zonda F and the Koenigsegg CCX.. even an Ascari!
4) Soundtrack is good, if you like electronic/dub.
5) Sense of speed is great, graphics are about on par with other 360 racers.
6) Drift courses are a hell of a lot of fun. Some of the drift totals seem impossible when you first get started (like 4M points in a single drift for example) but once you get into the groove you can knock it out and feel in the zone.
What I don't like:
1) There's no conclusion to the game. I'm serious. You beat the elite level and a screen says "congratulations you are now elite" and puts you back into the regular race selection screen. That's it. No credits rolling, nothing new unlocked, no new cars, nada. Just an achievement.
2) The game LOCKS UP on a somewhat often basis. In one of the drift events if I go over a 5M single drift it will hard lock, ie, I have to actually power down the 360 to get out of it. This is a pretty serious problem and there's no expectation that it will be fixed since I believe the Juice team is out of work these days. This doesn't impact the actual completion of the game but it does keep you from accomplishing some achievements, like the 20M and 50M drifts, which are probably beyond my skill level anyways. But there's a certain anger that's felt when you get a 12M point drift and it locks up before the autosave kicks in.
All in I'd give it a 7/10 and recommend it to anyone who's played all the other big name racers and is looking for something simple.
For reference I'd give these scores to these similar games:
Need For Speed Undercover: 6.5/10
Midnight Club Los Angeles: 7.5/10
Test Drive Unlimited: 9/10
Burnout Paradise: 7/10
Need For Speed Most Wanted: 8/10
Need For Speed Carbon: 7/10 | video-games_xbox |
get this game if you want an expansion pack to Forza 2 for . It's not surprising to see a racing game do the absolute minimum these days, but Forza "3" takes the concept to new heights and it does so with much gusto. If you've played Forza 2, you can't escape the sense of deja vu, well that is because you are playing what essentially is the same game.
While the navigation and progression have been redefined, it isn't necessarily an improvement (there are too many events and they don't vary much except increasing number of laps that you have to complete). The problem is that there is no challenge whatsoever in completing them, all you have to do is pick the right car that would smoke the competition (in many races, you can take a 200-mHr car against the likes of Toyota Yaris within the same race).
And then there is the unlimited rewind button, which allows you to undo any mistake on the track. So my question is, if it's impossible to lose, why do I have to do 11 laps on a 4 mile track? What am I doing that I couldn't do in one or two laps except subjecting myself to immense boredom? Unless you are a hardcore gearhead that likes to go in a car setup and tinker with all the minutiae of various settings, by the time you reach driver level 50, you will find yourself simulating most of the races just to get them out of the way while shooting for "all gold" achievement.
That said, such problems may have been rectified somehow by way of giving us something to keep our interest, such as new tracks, but alas, I can only name THREE new environments that are different enough to be noted (Camino del Viejo, Amalfi, and Fujimi Kaido), everything else is either plain uninteresting, or from Forza 2, or has been done before in multitude of other racing games (Catalanya, Le Mans, etc).
The design choices made here are really bewildering. Whoever thought it would be entertaining to spin for 7, 11, 14 laps on the same ole tracks? Been there, done that! Why is there only one city circuit in the game, New York? Why New York? And if you're going to include a city track, at least include one from each region (Europe, Asia), otherwise it just feels out of place.
I haven't tried the online in this game, but from what I've read in other reviews, it's not that great either. Well if it was great, online alone is not enough to justify the price. There is still all the painting of the cars and selling/buying them in online auction a-la ebay, well if that's your thing then you're in luck with Forza 3, the ultimate Ebay simulator. All told, the game isn't really enjoyable (well if you haven't played Forza 2 you may find some entertainment in here), there is little of interest or new to do. | video-games_xbox |
An Update to the New Generation of Marvel vs Capcom. This game is totally worth its price IF YOU DIDN'T BUY THE ORIGINAL.
!!!!Also an important note!!!!
This disc is really fragile for some reason...maybe it's because of the crap case, but there has been several reports from friends, tourney people, people online, and myself included that the CDs would crack in the center causing it to become unreadable. I recommend installing the game into the hard drive to ensure that if it does crack, you can at least play it if the CD reads from the start.
Anyways...
This game is just like how Street Fighter 4 went SUPER. Added cast, change in balance, fixed mechanics equals an upgraded title. I just wish it had cost less for this...upgrade...expansion...whatever you want to call it as I had bought the original vanilla version.
The game is flashy and over the top with it's fast paced 3v3 system. Combos feel a bit simpler to connect comparing to how MvC2 was. But with this, combos are much longer and more flashier then ever. UMvC3 has special mechanics like TACs (characters switching mid combo) and X-Factor (boost in damage and speed) that make the game shine, or broken...however you feel about that.
They added several new characters to both sides Marvel and Capcom to the fray, but problems with balance makes several of the original and new cast useless against characters like Vergil, Lv5 Frank West, Wesker, or Dark Phoenix (with X-Factor). But the good thing is that the game is a tag team 3v3. Useless characters become the main point of the team when used as or paired up with a good assist.
Arcade mode is like your typical arcade style fighter. Go through every match 'til you get to an overpowered boss (but this one is actually one of the easiest bosses EVER), and then get treated with a somewhat humorous story conclusion that feels out of place. Seriously, Capcom can't put a good story in their fighting games at all.
Online mode is overall not great, but above being bad. You'll be paired with people where you can view their connection speed in bars: 5 bars being the best, and 1 being the worst. Even with 5 bars, there is a small lag. With 4 bars, there a much bigger lag but still playable. So I recommend playing against 4-5 bars and never lower. The great thing about getting into an online match is that you can get it to search for you during Arcade mode or Training mode. I recommend doing searching while in either modes...it's better than a raw search as often times raw searches end up 'no opponent found', and you have to do the restart the search. Searches during Arcade mode and Training mode does a continuous search, so you're bound to get into an online match easier and with less hassle. And hey, you get to practice your skills while you wait for a connection!!
Ranked matches is...rage inducing. An excessive amount of connections are full of lag...and then the most of the community really doesn't like losing, so you often get into a situation where your win doesn't count due to a rage-quitter. I've only experience that in lower ranks, but man does that make me wanna just be done with this game especially since this game requires you to win hundreds and hundreds of matches to level up your rank.
Player matches is much better. A 1v1 connection player match gives you the option to have rematches and go to character select screen after a match has ended. If you go to a player match LOBBY however, those options are removed (sadly). Even if the lobby has only two players, those options don't show up. You are required to go back to the lobby and wait on a timer to start your matches again. It sucks. Lobbies allow spectating so that's also a plus compared to vanilla.
There was an free update called Heroes and Heralds that adds a card system to the game. Cards add special abilities like meter gain, invisibility, no hit-stun, parry, and more. You can either choose being a Hero or a Herald. Picking one from the other unlocks different cards. The online aspect of this makes this mode completely broken...and I say stay away from it. It isn't worth it at all. In fact, I think the online mode is useless now that nobody goes online in this mode. And it's technically worthless offline as there is no 2 player local option available.
All in all, this game is one of those games you say "Wow!" as you watch the matches, but feel like you want to stop playing completely after being put up against somebody who is superior to you or relies on broken mechanics. To enjoy this game the most, play this game with people at your skill level (preferably offline) and level up together. I've had several friends stop playing because they got into the game as a newbie while playing with against high skilled players. I admit, I even almost gave up on this game when people started using Vergil with X-Factor (omg...I hate him so much).
Oh, be ready for some deep trash talk when playing this game. The MvC scene has an excessive amount of people with high egos, which is pretty sad.
I just wish higher skilled players would be treat others (especially newcomers) with open-arms in this game instead of scaring them away.
I game with the tourney scene so I'm used to it, but man do I wish for a better community. | video-games_xbox |
best headset I've owned. awesome w/ Earforce DSS 7.1 Processor. I see there's no review on this yet so I'm gonna do a very quick review based on only my 1st weekend with this headset. I'm using this on my Xbox 360. I'm no a PC person. My PS3 is dead so I cannot test it out (I wanted to see if it worked for my Blu Ray movies). I will update this review from time to time. I've owned the X11, X31, and now MW3 Bravo. I love this headset. Sounds awesome. Probably cause I also own the Earforce DSS 7.1 Sound Processor. I don't really know the big differences between the combo of what I have and the Delta version. This retails here for $170 and the Delta is $300. I'd rather buy the DSS than spending an extra $130 but that's just me. I got my Bravo on sale at my local dept store for $150 so I think I got a nice deal. I'm going to try and point out stuff that's not already stated on the descriptions.
- Mic mute button - It's now on the headset itself rather than on the wire. I'd rather have it on the wire cause now all of the buttons are on the headset now which makes it harder for me to access it.
- Mic chat volume button - It's also on the headset itself too instead of on the wire. However, it's now 2 clicky buttons (like a cell phone)instead of the dial. I like it better this way cause the dial was too sensitive for me.
***11/10/11 Update*** Once in a while when I'm chatting w/ my friends/family on chat. I hear a minor echo form them. Not a bad 3 second delayed repeating echo. It's like they're talking to me from a bathroom. It's not really bad but it's there. There's even a sticker on the chat aux cord that states if you hear an echo to unplug and plug it back in...which didn't solve it for me.
- Presets - They're now 2 buttons. One for the main (normal) sound and the other is to select the programmed presets. Both buttons are small rectangular shaped instead of the older tiny circular buttons from the older headsets. I like it better this way. It comes with 8 presets. 3 for campaign (1-enhancer, 2-bass boost, 3-high frequency boost) and 5 for multiplayer (4-enhancer, 5-footsteps focus, 6-bass boost, 7-amplifier, 8-precision). I can't tell which I'm on though. The only way I can assume is if I press the main preset button, it should reset to 0. I then press the preset button only assuming it goes in numerical order from there. When I find out if I'm right or not, I'll update this review.
***11/10/11 Update*** It's still hard to tell which preset you're on. It beeps when you press it for the 1st 4 presets and the beeps quieter for the last 4 presets. Doesn't really help me.
- Game volume - Just wanna state it's still a dial and not buttons
- Rechargeable battery - This is one of the main reasons why I got this. I'm assuming this will be a lot better than using batteries since it should last longer (10 hours). There is now a usb port on the headset. You can now charge the headset when you're not playing or while playing. I don't know if it'll beep or give you a warning if it needs to be charged. I just got this but I'll update my review when it happens. I charged it using a regular power source and it worked fine doing it that way. It comes with a LONG usb cord. It's over 13 ft long (I used measuring tape to find out). I didn't know why but then I thought about it, it's gives you the option to connect the usb from where you're using the headset to your console/sensor. This usb cord is marked with a sticker that it's used for charging and it cannot be used for data transferring.
- Chat auxiliary cable cord - This is the cord that connects your headset to your controller. I think it's shorter than normal. It's only about 3 feet long. I like a little more slack while I'm still chatting and grabbing a snack or a drink from the kitchen. I wish it was maybe a foot or 2 longer. There's also a stick attached to mark it. It states if you hear an echo to plug in both sides the cord (weird).
- Sensor - Simple. you switch between using it for PS3, PC, or Xbox 360. This is the 1st sensor I've seen that there's no clear plastic on the front cover with a red light on. I don't know if that's better or not. There is a usb port on the the side of it. It's for charging your headset (using the 13 ft long usb cord). It's a nice option for people that don't want more wire clutter on your console.
***11/10/11 Update*** When I turn off my Xbox 360, the sensor's green little light in the front still blinks. It doesn't stop. I don't know if it's a good idea or not. I just unplug the usb cord just in case and plus it's annoying.
- Wireless - As you know it's wireless. So far there have been not cutting off or crackling sounds like happened time to time on my X31 headset. Again, I've only used it this weekend so I'll update this as time progresses.
***11/10/11 Update*** - Bang for your buck - It's a little overpriced. The X41 has 7.1 Surround Sound and is a lot cheaper. Again, I wanted the internal battery that can be charged. That still makes a huge difference to me. Also, the other Turtle Beach wireless headsets, such as the X31 and PX5, has annoying random crackling sounds and some sound cut offs (even when there's no much wireless stuff going on around its sensor). That has not happened to the Bravo headset.
Again, it sounds better than my previous Turtle Beach headsets. The atmosphere on the sound, music, surrounding explosions, vehicles, running/footsteps, reloading, gun fire, etc on Battlefield 3 multiplayer and campaign sounds so awesome. I think it's a nice alternative for people who can't afford getting the Delta. Just don't forget to pick up the DSS with it.
***11/10/11 Update*** Been playing a lot of MW3 since the midnight launch. Sounds just as good as playing Battlefield 3. It's not worse or better than using it with other great FPS games. There's not too much edge. | video-games_xbox |
Mass Effect: Limited Edition. I will simply say this game is awesome! It's intensly epic and if you're a fan of the RPG format, this is a must play. There are naturally some comparisons being made to the two Knights of the Old Republic video games. I think these comparisons are very appropriate because the general game design is a fairly similar, though I'm sure many Star Wars fans are disappointed to not see laser swords in this game. Anyway, both games are very epic in scale, however, I think Mass Effect improved and built on from some areas.
Now anyone who plays RPG styled games HAS to realize that the screen view offers quite a bit design limitations. For example you're not going to have super high-detailed characters that look life-like all the time, though Mass Effect does a damn good job. People have to remember you're not seeing things through a first person view, so those who complain that it's not as "detailed" need to get over themselves, I grew up with Diablo, which I still think has a pretty good design. The screen interface to me is one of the most important, however, Mass Effect is a little hard to figure out at first. Such as when you want to change weapons quickly or use your special abilities. After having gone through the game, I realize now that it is by far the absolutely most logical control development for the user to interface with the screen.
Everything is in 3rd person view so the user is sitting sort of "far away" in perspective, aside from video sequences of course. Despite this, I think the graphic design is very well done. I see people complain about things not being "Next Gen" on a Next Gen console, seriously, what do these people expect to see? Graphic design wise Mass Effect is probably comparable to Half Life 2, and really, is that such a bad thing? I'd rather have developers spend their time developing a really epic game with an awesome story line than spend all their time amping up the graphics to the point where systems can't process all the detail so they have to shorten the game to compensate for data overflow. Which, is something I will complain about in Halo 3, because it was far too short, despite how beautifully designed the game was.
Another thing that was really interesting was the weapon designs. You get new weapons as the game goes on, but they're energy based weapons so you have unlimited ammo. I thought this was a really interesting way to treat the weapons, granted I enjoyed the unlimited ammo because running out of ammo in a game really sucks. You basically have access to all the weapons from the start of the game, but you have to put points into being trained on them to actually get good at using them. If you don't have access to build up points for the Sniper Rifle your character will always be really bad at using that weapon, but each character has the ability to build up at least one of the options!
The real part to focus on in Mass Effect is the highly original world and engrossing story line! You're thrust into a future universe of humanity where we have contact with other alien cultures and we are trying to work our way into the politics of the situation. I would say the story line is somewhat influenced by Carl Sagan's "Contact" because it starts with teh discovery of something called a Mass Relay, which can send vehicles far into distant reaches very quickly... yeah, kind of like "Contact, but this takes place long after that initial contact. I found the story-line very intelligent and very well thought out, to the point where it's believable in that situation. I haven't played through that many excellent Science Fiction RPG's, but this is probably my favorite as much as I liked Knights of the Old Republic. The story line does have a serious shock ending that I really didn't predict in the least, whereas I found Knights of the Old Republic II's story line slightly predictable.
Mass Effect really shines in my book. I was one of the lucky few to pick up the Limited Edition version and it comes with a bonus disc, which I haven't watched yet, but I will add to this review when I see it. It also comes with an added booklet with extra information about the historical time-line, which I thought was a really cool game addition.
As anyone can see, this game is VERY highly rated by users and I personally have no complaints about this game whatsoever. I found it to be challenging and intriguing. I don't have a lot of time to play games and this thing kept me occupied for two months (I do spend most of my day at work and only can play like an hour or two a night). Most games I can beat pretty quickly, but the grand scale took me as long as Knights of the Old Republic. Seriously, get this game! | video-games_xbox |
The best flight sim on xbox 360. This is not an arcade flying game, it can be played that way but the controls suffer from it. I will discuss the flaws first. The overall presentation as far as cutscenes go and story is quite bad, the cartoon style briefings leave a lot to be desired. They lip sync and don't move while they brief you. The music is terrible, but its easy to turn it off or use your own music. All the things that make the game bad are pre-flight things, once you get to the runway, everything changes!
The gameplay is great IMO, graphics are good other than the close ground terrain when flying low. Dogfighting is a thrill and tough, landing safely will make you proud, the planes all have different radar sections and some have a little stealth so they are tough to target and track. There are lots of planes and they all handle differently, also lots of different weapons to arm them. Before missions and online you can load your plane with what you like. Wanna dogfight other planes mainly?, bring lots of sidewinders and AAMRAAMS, need to attack a ship?, grab some harpoon missiles, got some ground targets?, use laser guided bombs and cluster bombs or slam-mer missiles from miles away. The freedom to equip your plane to suit your style of play is great. Some planes are good for air to ground battle, and some are best at dogfighting, using the right craft for the job is crucial.
Single player is kinda easy and repetitive but it serves to unlock more planes, and it's good practice so i don't mind. Also, the challenge mode is great, make a custom flight scenario, dogfight with or without a wingman, or just free fly. I play these modes more than the story, i just wanna finish the story for all the planes.
The last thing i will discuss is the arena mode. The single player arena is tough but fun and similar to the multiplayer arena. I will talk about the multiplayer arena though, it starts with up to 8 people getting into 4 teams of 2. It can be played with only 2 people though and the computer will take the other teams. You select a plane, what weapons you want and then you start out on a runway. Ok, the way it works, the 4 teams all have a color, and each team has it's own carrier group, escort ships, airfield with main HQ, other ground targets, and different types of planes. The goal is to destroy the enemies bases, all their assets, or just the major targets like the HQ building. The map is HUGE, plenty of room to do any outflanking you could want. If you fly from one side to the other in a jet, it would take at least 15 mins or more. There is one white neutral airfield in the middle of the map that everyone can land on. At ANY point in the game, you can go to your airfield or the neutral one and switch weapons or just refuel and re-arm and repair. The enemy can come attack your assets at anytime so you can choose between defense, offense, or a mix of both. Thats when a wingman and weapon selection comes into play. Will you equip a dogfighter plane with all air to air missles and just play defense against the enemy planes while your buddy goes on the offensive with bombs and air to ground missiles? OR will you both go on the attack, or both go on offense. Thats where the fun comes from, choosing your own role in the skies. I like to have me and my wingman both equip long range ship missiles, fly to one of the enemies, and take out all the sea assets we can in the first strike to eliminate all the SAM sites and anti aircraft guns, then we fly back to base and land and re-arm with air to ground missiles and bombs and go attack the airfield. You always need a few air to air missiles in case you are spotted by any enemy planes.
It's mega exciting to have all this going on at once, plan an attack and fly with your wingman all the way to the enemy, you two both have your own set of targets. As you get close, you break apart and both go after different targets, dodging AA fire and having to evade the occasional missile. One time, i had dropped all my ordanance, and was just doing flybys on the enemy airfield, and my buddy came diving in from really high up and dropped a bomb on the HQ building! It was great because i was flying right next to it so i saw everything! It's like a perfect marriage between action and strategy, choosing what to attack, what to defend, and what to use. IMO, the best flying game I've ever played. | video-games_xbox |
Turn the Lights Out. Dead Space 2 has triumphed over the first one in many ways. It's a game that feels like Dead Space, but in a way is entirely different. On your fight to survival you encounter many more people, new weapons, and a plethora of new and disgusting enemies.
Pros:
1. Dark, scary, and suspensful!-- The game has a creepy atmosphere that makes you use your flashlight often. The sounds are one of the major things that creates those scary moments as even the slightest dropping of metal above you will have your heart racing.
2. Violent and Gory.-- Definitely NOT for the faint of heart! The game is downright brutal as you have to dismember the necromorphs before they die creating floors flooded with blood and limbs. You can also curb stomp the enemies even after they are dead to make a few more blood baths. The violence is strategic, though, and the blood isn't very noticeable in dark areas or when you are running away from the creatures.
3. Good Storyline with Puzzles.-- The story continues off the first one, but if you haven't played it don't fret, as you can probably understand everything about Dead Space by playing through Dead Space 2. It takes about 9-13 hours to play; depending on if you want to search for extra and such it could take longer. Puzzles are spread throughout the game and some require a little searching for the right pieces, but they never get old.
Cons:
1. Hard isn't too Hard.-- Even on Zealot setting the game still has plenty of ammo and health which takes away from the suspense, but the necromorphs are a lot tougher and will kill you a lot easier.
2. Hardcore Mode-- Hardcore mode is the hardest setting on Dead Space 2 and it is literally insane. While you still have ammo and health the amounts of ammo in a pack that you get is dropped by a couple rounds. You only have 3 saves for the WHOLE game! Hardcore mode has left me defeated and I think it always will beat my skills.
3. Multiplayer-- You have to go online to play with people which is dumb if you want to have friends over.
Overall:
The game is fantastic! and will leave you wanting more! You will NOT be disappointed, so what are you waiting for? Get up into space with your plasma cutter and teach those necromorphs a lesson! | video-games_xbox |
Good time killer, but not much else. While dusting, I came across this on my room mates shelf. Being a fan of omega's games and a fair strategy nut, I popped it in, expecting to slog through a small cities population while barely staining my mail hauberk. However, bladestorm takes an interesting middle ground between the 3-rd person slaughterfest of Dynasty Warriors and the nearly completely hands off approach of Rot3K.
Bladestorm puts you in the role of mercenary officer No. 5, a sellsword who works for the British and French in turns on various fields throughout the Hundred Years War. A nice cast of significant figures make periodic appearances and are voiced decently, from the Black Prince to Joan of Arc.
Advancing isn't a level by level thing, but rather a practice with spears, improve spears techniques and spear unit leadership skills. Points aren't automatically awarded, and you have a fair amount of control over the improvement of unit abilities (I personally ramped Calvary Charge up to max first thing, and thereby turned my horse line into a tank blitzkreg) The weapons are incredibly well balanced, and a wrong strategic step can quickly see your men slaughtered like lambs. Yuo also can't do the one man army approach thats so tempting from DW either, for similar reasons. Theres some strategic involvement, but primarily you fight from the fore, as to be expected.
The sad part of this is you feel like an extra in a movie, rather than a named character, much less a main one. You almost don't have control over yourself, and its easy to lose track of you among the throng, and suddenly find yourself surrounded, all your men dead and you at half health. You have no lines and no involved cutscenes, and you even get your thank-you lines in battle. The story crawls along, shackled wrist to ankle. After nearly 10 hours of play, I've run maybe 5-6 10-15 minute story missions, and had little direct involvement otherwise. To put in DW terms, you play free play ten times before playing a story mission. The story also doesn't seem to go anywhere. You can't exclusively fight for Britain or France it seems, as you need to play French missions to unlock further British ones, and vice versa.
This is a great game to keep on your shelf, but I couldn't sit through this start to finish if I was paid. I'll pull it off and sack some villages every month or so, and grin wickedly while doing it, but I can't follow it with the same kind of dedication I've felt for Dynasty Warriors. It was a nice new idea Koei, but it definitely won't take over as the best one. | video-games_xbox |
If you're sitting on the fence maybe this can help. If you don't know, Forza Motorsport is a simulation racing game and it's an Xbox 360 exclusive. The point of this review is to give my thoughts on the game and to help people decide Forza is right for them.
First off I should tell you that there is a demo available on the marketplace which gives you a taste of what's to come. When you first start the game it'll ask you if you would like to install the additional content on the 2nd disc that ships with the package. It contains I think about 100 cars and some tracks and it will tax your hard drive 1.9GB so arcade owners or people short on space (like me) beware. You can play the game without installing the additional content just know that you'll be missing some stuff.
Pros
Graphics: Well I'm currently playing on a 21 inch standard def TV and I think it looks amazing. I absolutely think that it is quite possible to destroy your mind with the right video set up. The menus are clean and neat and is full of smooth, crisp transitions. It's a lot of white with the information you need to see popping out. Just think BBC news, if you know how that looks. I haven't unlocked all the cars in the game so I can't speak with definite authority but I think that they all feature interior views which gives you a a lot of viewing room unlike past games.
Content: More cars than you can shake a stick at. While this isn't a GT5 VS FM3 review I should mention that people may scoff and say "400 cars? GT has 8 or 900", but honestly, do you really need that much? I know I certainly don't because the cars that I want to take around the 'ring are here. (I used to play GT mind you)
Customization: The livery editor has been given a great update that makes it easier for designers to quickly edit and share content and believe you me, the work that some of these guys have on the online storefront is nothing short of sorcery I tell you. I have to acknowledge what these guys do, you'll be amazed, and the best part is that most of the designs are free (well for now anyway).
Gameplay: Forza is really a game that appeals to anyone. If you want to just hold the gas and steer a little or if you have a kid the assists make it possible. If you want more realism you can turn off all the assists, traction control, stability management and anti breaking system and race your heart out. It even has clutch shifting for manual transmission.
Cons: Forza isn't a totally fault free game. Some of the car interiors have gauges that don't work. From what I've observed, for cars with digital gauges, if your racing and their is an Xbox notification or you bring up the guide, the dash will flicker and look glitched. Another thing is the prices of upgrades, whole the prices of the cars aren't too shabby (and you get some pretty sweet free ones early on) it's the upgrades that drain your winnings. If you wanna take say an R34 Skyline and make it an S class car then you'd better be prepared to pay out the you know where. Again I'll say that I haven't even passed the 50% mark in the game so I don't know how money will be coming in later down but right now I'm sitting rather well with my winnings. If you wanna upgrade every car you get and buy every car at the onset just give it time, you'll waste your money and you may very well be awarded the same car you just bought. Online, well you don't have to look too far to see what other people are saying, but...meh, you'll either like it or hate it.
Overall I'll say that FM3 is a great game and it isn't deserving of the one stars that other people are giving it. For a game to be one star it has to be utter garbage, like say a movie tie in game that was made without effort. My rating for this game is really 4.5 but there are no half stars, but I think it leans more towards 5 than 4. I hope this helps, see you guys on the track. | video-games_xbox |
Fans of James Bond and/or FPS genre, You Will Love This Game. It's no secret that most Bond games since GoldenEye 64 have been sub-par, with the exception of Nightfire which I loved.
Then comes Quantum of Solace. I absolutley love this game. I have had it for over two weeks now and there have only been about 2 days that I have not played it.
First off, the campaign mode. A very entertaining and very fun mode to play. The only draw back of it is that it is on the short side. Since it is very fun though, you can play on a lesser difficulty first, then go back and beat it again for the achievements/enjoyment of it. The game is set just after the events of Casino Royale. You first play through a couple levels from Quantum of Solace, and then go back and play through Casino Royale, then go back and finish off QoS. The game keeps you very interested with the fast paced, fun gameplay and the interesting cut scenes.
This game is a first person shooter with hints of a third person shooter. At first this was a negative for me as I am not a huge fan of TPS, but it is done in a fantastic way. There is a cover system that allows you to take cover behind pillers and boxes and walls and whatever else you can hide behind. This allows you to blind fire as well as peek out when the time is right to conserve your health and make perfect shots. This system is also in multiplayer. Also there are fight scenes that you are able to "control". I say that because there will be a whole fight scene, but you will only be allowed to hit about two buttons, the rest is done for you. This is a bit weak, but does not take away from the fun of the game.
The multiplayer is VERY fun and addictive. Treyarch developed this game with Activision, the same team that procduced Call of Duty 3 and Call of Duty: World at War, so you know the multiplayer is quality. The system is set up just like Call of Duty 4 and World at War, with the different weapon classes that allow you to build your own weapon pack. You can choose which main gun, side arm, grenade, weapon attachments, and perks you want.
There are many different modes in multiplayer. There is Team Conflict which is just teams of 4 or 6 that battle each other, deathmatch style. Golden Gun mode is where one person has a golden gun that shoots explosive bullets and everybody else is trying to kill him and each other to get the golden gun. There is territory control in which two teams battle to take over a certain territory and hold it for an amount of time. Classic mode is just how it sounds, classic. This feels a lot like GoldenEye 64 where you just start with a pistol and you have to find other weapons on the map, everybody for themselves. There are about 4 other modes that are fun as well. Great weapon, great perks, and a very good multiplayer experience.
Overall I would recommend this game to anyone who loves shooting games. The campaign is awesome, and the multiplayer is very addictive and adds much replay value to this game. This is one of my favorite Xbox 360 games!! Go get it now!!
Graphics- 9/10
Sound- 9/10
Replay Value- 10/10
Gameplay- 9/10
Multiplayer- 9/10
Fun- 10/10
Overall- 9.3/10 | video-games_xbox |
Horrible Customer Service, false advertising. Bought this product (Kinect for Xbox One) on 10/20/15, received it 4 days later. It was advertised with 100 Free Skype World Minutes which particularly interested us, I called on 10/15/15 to verify offer before purchase, and it was confirmed. Today I looked into my Skype account and these minutes were nowhere to be found. I called MS support and asked to speak with Skype but I was directed to Xbox support. I spoke with a rep there who was befuddled, clueless about offer though I found it at their support website and he still couldn't find it even after I gave him the exact web address and had to read it to him, I then requested to speak with a supervisor who soon after confirmed the offer and said she would call me back, she never called instead she sent me an email for self-help which was a dead end. I called back to speak with her after she didn't email me back either after I responded to her, she didn't work at that call center and I was on hold a long time to speak with another sup but that call was disconnected and no one called me back though they asked for my call back number. I called again and spoke with another sup who confirmed offer and promised to resolve issue, soon after that he said he was going to speak with the Skype Department while I waited on hold but again we were disconnected and I was on the line with Skype. I spoke with a Skype supervisor who told me there was nothing that they could do and advised me to call to MS support tough I told them that is where I first called. I called back to MS support who again told me there's nothing they could do and I should call Xbox support even after I stated I already spoke with them 3 times today. 5 phone calls, 2 emails and 4 hours later nothing was resolved other than angering a customer with a classic run around, a customer who spent thousands of $ buying 10 + MS/Xbox products just in the past 3 months alone, I now regret all these purchases. This by far was the worst customer experience I ever had, it's nothing less than blatant false advertising. These divisions, owned by Microsoft, act like they are separate companies that have nothing to do with each other or Microsoft. I would give a big fat 0 if that were an option for a rating!!! | video-games_xbox |
I'm Here To Help. After my first 4-5 hours of use, I started to realize what I actually bought, now this is my personal preference and should be taken into consideration for why your looking at these right now! First off, I love my bass, I can't get enough of it when it comes to headsets, these, they perform better than my blacksharks, my afterglows and my plantronic rig! I'd also like to comment that it does come with extra foam ear pads that are made out of a almost swim trunk material that seems soft and squishy but upon putting one on my ear and leaving the other with the pleather/leather cushion its clear the ones it comes with are the best, your ears do touch the inner wall but that's not too big of a problem it almost feels right... Now instructions are simple, download drivers when plugging it in, restart, tune, go... I found the settings simple and customization enough to be enjoyable. THIS IS NOT SHOWN AND IS IMPORTANT PLEASE READ! - It has a freakin built in voice changer and voice from others is changable, you can change how loud say an announcer is in a commentary or you can lower pesky kiddies in CSGO to an almost mute so you can clutch those 1v1 team doesn't care moments, or if they're all really young make em sound like there almost 40 years old... I don't know why they don't sell that fact over others but whatever its a nice little touch to an already great product! Again if you need help I'm always here... I've enough time to learn whats best for such games as CSGO, BF4 and other sound intensive games that require acute tuning if you will. I've also come to understand that each 2-8 ch. is important for each game and a simple GOOGLE search should clear you up on why your bass isn't hard or some audio just isn't as clear as it should be with 5.1 or even virtual 7.1. The LED's aren't harsh at all... in fact I think they help... I'm a night owl so being able to just see where I set em like in my chair I would say brighter the better... Same with the mic led which really helps when u think your talking, but your muted! Controls on the little mixer are simple but you will need light to see which is which at first in 2 hours I had it down and I know how they work! The volume is just a switch that you push either way and hold. The rest are dials and they're quite smooth and look like they'll last awhile! The metal plating is really shiny and adds a nice bling to it that is subtle but really nice with the soft plastic brush feel! Padding on the top is soft and my head loves me for it! I literally have 1 CON... The braided wire is really noisy when u rub it while there on, which isn't anything ANYONE should care about in a $50 product at this quality! | video-games_xbox |
Nominee for the Best Ninja Related Interactive Video Sport. Picture this: you're a ninja, who rocks, and was recently sent on a mission to pick up some Chinese takeout. But when you return to your village, you find it has been ravaged by your arch-nemesis, Ronny the Samurai! After a quick bout, he smites you. This leaves you one choice: using only the hottest ninja chicks as your allies, you must seek VENGEANCE! Not because it's the right thing to do mind you, but because you're really ticked off.
Well, that's not quite how it happens. But anyone who has sort of glanced at the back cover of this game might find the description somewhat mildly similar. But that's beside the point. And the point is that this game rocks. It's just that simple.
Don't get me wrong: this game is not perfect. Many people found some flaws in it. They said it was difficult, and the camera sucked. Well first, difficulty is not a flaw. That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Secondly, yes the camera does suck, but in the long run I'd rather have a camera that centers on your back than one that slowly moves around the room.
My two problems were thus: there was no out of game content. Boy did I get this one wrong. After you beat the game, you can get a movie viewer to see all the graphically flawless cinematics. You can, depending on what internet cheat guide you read, get the original Ninja Gaiden arcade games. I didn't even know those existed! But the best unlocked thingy ever is the soundtrack under "sound test." Why doesn't every game have one of these new-fangled playable soundtracks? Just a suggestion...
My second complaint was a lack of level select, and there's nothing I can do about that. It wouldn't have fit the game design anyway. At least, that's what I keep telling myself. But this a small price to pay.
As I mentioned before, this game is not "awsometastic." It merely rocks, which is saying a lot considering how much ninja video gaming garbage there is out there. So I strongly urge you to go out there, strap a bow, some arrows and nunchaku to your back, and flip out and buy this game. Seriously dude, it rocks. And, oh yeah, did I mention it rocks? | video-games_xbox |
Bought the product and it lasted 7 months. So, I bought this product when I built a new computer because I needed a good gaming headset and I play a lot of pc games. I have never owned a turtle beach product before and this was my first one. I read some of the reviews and seen that they break easily, etc. and I thought "oh well, that's just people not taking good care of their equipment" Soooooo, I bought this product anyways and that was my mistake. The product itself works great. HOWEVER, it's made of very cheap materials and is poorly built. I noticed a few months after using them that there was a small crack above the left earpiece (the one with the mic attached) and after 7 months of use, it's cracked all the way through and broken.
So, this product comes with a 1 year warranty, and I e-mailed them about it. They (Rowan was his name) responded within a day and they told me that they did not have any more Z6A refurbished headsets available they could give me an X-12 with a DSS2 surround sound( basically the volume control thing that the Z6A has attached to the cord). So I researched the X-12 and it's a cheaper headset in price and is just not appealing at all and looks like it's made of even cheaper materials. So, I responded with no thanks, I don't like the looks of it and it doesn't appeal to me like the Z6A and if I have to buy a new headset, I'll just go with RAZER. So they responded offering me an even different headset called the px21 with the DSS2(attached surround sound device) and I looked it up(the headset and dss2 device combo) and I can buy it from their amazon store for even cheaper than what I got the Z6A. So, I assume it's not as good as the Z6A and it's not as appealing in style nor does it look as comfortable as the Z6A and I asked him if it has a 1 year warranty how come they were inclined to offer me refurbished Z6A and not a new one? Because I bought it new, shouldn't I receive a new one if it's under warranty? and they responded with The PX21 + DSS2 combo RETAIL VALUE costs more so they consider it an upgrade. (However, you can buy them both together brand new from Turtle Beach's Amazon store for $78.99 when the Z6A is $99) and that they did not have anymore Z6A new or used.
So basically, there warranty is worthless to me at this point and my product is broken.
My next headset will be either made by ASTRO or RAZER.
This Z6A product worked great and had no problems but even as careful as I am with my computer equipment, I could not prevent these from breaking just from normal everyday wear.
I DEFINITELY WOULD NOT RECOMMEND BUYING THESE UNLESS YOU ARE PREPARED TO BUY SEVERAL PAIRS OF THEM OFTEN. | video-games_xbox |
Could have been great...but turned out wrong. Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter is a military squad based shooter that has been released on many platforms. Unlike the previous editions, Ghost Recon 2 and GR2: Summit Strike, this game (for the Xbox) is played entirely in first person, with the gun in view. I always like Ghost Recon as a first person shooter, like the original game and Island Thunder, so this was a plus for me. A lot of people, however, probably would have loved another GR game with the over the shoulder view, like seen in the Xbox 360 version. Personally, I have not been the biggest fan of the OTS view in GR games, but in terms of GRAW, I find it to work a lot better than the first person gun view seen in the Xbox version. I'm not sure why they chose to have this view, considering the OTS view was in Ghost Recon 2 and Summit Strike, but this was the first of many other mistakes made in the making of this game.
Another very noticeable detail that is far behind compared to the Xbox 360 version is the graphics. I mean, obviously they are going to be worse, we are comparing an Xbox 360 game to one on the Xbox. Even so, they seem pretty bad for the Xbox itself. The game seems like it tries to be as good as the Xbox 360 version, but fails miserably. Instead of trying to use the Xbox to the fullest, this game almost feels like a bad port, even though the gameplay is way different. I mean, there is like a nice haze and lighting effects in the Xbox 360 version of the game, and in this version, they try to create this so hard, but it comes off very strange. There is like this weird orange glow in the Xbox version. Other than that, the textures are off, not horrendous, but nothing special. The environments seem repetitive and graphically speaking are only as good if not worse than GR2. The AI in the game seems very "blah." At some points in the game, they are very good and almost mimic "real like" situations. Most of the time, however, they seem to run into the bullets. One thing that is bad, but kind of good at the same time is that you only have 1 other soldier to help you along the way, instead of the 3 you get in the Xbox 360 version. I like this in the sense that it's easier to control only one, but at the same time it makes for a weaker "ghost recon" experience.
There is also a multiplayer portion of the game to keep players busy months into the future. There is a wide variety of maps and weapons to choose from while playing over Xbox Live and makes for an enjoyable experience. You can have 12 people in a game together at once which is a good number for this type of game. There is also a co-op mode for yourself and one other player to play the campaign mission together online.
Overall, this game is good and bad at the same time, with a higher portion leaning on the bad side. There are things I liked, things I didn't like, and it was just an "ok" gaming experience. Obviously the Xbox 360 version of the game is better, and because of this it makes this game even worse. Because of this, if you are only looking for a single player experience, I would not recommend this game. If you have Xbox Live and have liked Ghost Recon online in the past, you may want to look into picking this up. If you have the choice between this and the Xbox 360 version, however...you know which one to buy! ? | video-games_xbox |
Great game. (Okay, a disclaimer up front: I am new to the Madden franchise, have only played a patched version of Madden 13, and do not play online.)
I have thoroughly enjoyed this product. I was initially put off by the low scores here at Amazon and the griping about the missing franchise mode. For these reasons, I almost got Madden 12. However, I'm glad that I went ahead and got this one. The game can be very absorbing. There is a good degree of realism in the gameplay, and you can set various sliders to make the game perform as you would like. There are also a good number of modes. In my view, the Connected Career mode (CCM) works like a franchise mode in which you can coach any of the 32 teams through 16-game seasons and post-season games. You can micromanage to your heart's content, from developing the skills of individual players, changing playbooks, redesigning uniforms, chasing promising free agents/draft picks, and so forth. Of course, there are various practice modes, single-player "instant action," fantasy teams, and online offerings. However, I've had a great time with (offline) CCM thus far.
The presentation is well done. Lots of animations, compelling on-field mechanics, convincing sound effects, suitably epic sounding music, etc. To be sure, there are some occasional goofy post-play glitches, where players sometimes stumble over each other while trying to get up from a tackle. However, this doesn't affect actual plays or gameplay in any way. The announcers overall do a credible job, though they will eventually become repetitive once you hear all of their dialogue. On rare occasion, they will also get something wrong, such as saying that you are on 4th down even though you actually just made a first down (again, this uncommon glitch does not affect gameplay--that is, you'll actually have the first down). In sum, I really like how the game gives you a sense that you are playing in the NFL and that your team matters. There are post-game "news" and Twitter messages that keep up with how things are going around the league, and stats screens are available on nearly every aspect of the league.
The controls are fairly easy to learn, but a lot has to do with your timing and ability to make quick judgments based on visual on-field conditions. The game is faithful to the real sport, so expect penalties, audibles, onside kicks, draw plays, Hail Mary passes, etc. On the All-Pro difficulty with most sliders set near zero (which makes the game more based on the actual stats of the players and less arcadey), I have found the game to be a good challenge. My Falcons are now 8-6-1, so this last game is going to be a nail-biter (we probably won't make the playoffs this time)! The average player will have to experiment and come up with slider settings that fit their gameplay style, and there are many suggestions on the internet.
I am really at a loss why this game is getting such poor ratings from some reviewers. Either previous Maddens were so much better (which I doubt), the so-called missing franchise mode is just a deal-breaker (which it shouldn't be), or there is a lot of EA hating out there (very likely, though I understand it). Anyhow, I'm impressed by the game, especially as a first-time Madden customer. I haven't experienced any performance issues such as freezes, crashes, slow-downs, etc. The in-game manual (man, I really wish that these things still came in printed form inside of the retail box) could do a better job at explaining a few things--I had to go online to find out how to kick the ball! Otherwise, my complaints about this game are few and minor. I highly recommend it. | video-games_xbox |
Dynasty Mode is Unplayable/Draft Class can't be imported to Madden. If you play Dynasty mode like I do this game is completely unplayable.
First Dynasty Team: Froze up on game start of my week 11 Game. Restarted Xbox 15 or 16 times and it kept freezing up in the same spot. (loading of week 11 game)I was unable to ever get this Dynasty to pass week 11.
Second Dynasty Team: Game froze up on loading of the week 3 game. Restarted Xbox 15 to 20 times the game kept freezing at the same point each time. I was unable to ever get this franchise to work again.
Third Dynasty Team: I made it to week 4 and it froze up on game load again when trying to play week 4 team. I did not have my game saved to the hard drive like I did the first two times.
Fourth Dynasty Team: It froze up on week 3 but was able to get it to work after restarting the xbox by the 4th time. (NCAA is still currently not installed on my Xbox like the first two Dynasty teams I had. I only tried to restart the Xbox three or four times when my Third Dynasty Team froze up. I am unclear if just playing the game from disk has anything to do with the fact I was able to restart the Xbox when my Fourth Dynasty Team froze up or not. I am now on week 7 and it has not froze up again yet. If I make it through an entire year or it freezes up again and I am able to get it to work by restarting the Xbox I will assume not loading the game to disk may be the way to go with this game. I will update this comment if that is the case.
Right now I cannot recommend this game to anyone and if you play for Franchise mode like most do I would not get this game until this issue is fixed. Like I said I will update this if the problem is ever resolved.
Just found out you cant import Draft class to Madden. The only reason why a bought this piece of junk. They got rid of the only thing about this game that made it worth getting. Amazon needs to add a zero star option. | video-games_xbox |
Absolutely Amazing. Well Built, Well Thought Out. Expensive, but worth it. (Not compatible with small children. <div id="video-block-R2ZD7N4PHRVDAV" class="a-section a-spacing-small a-spacing-top-mini video-block"></div><input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/E1eJjaA-gAS.mp4" class="video-url"><input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/B1yKVMLrJwS.png" class="video-slate-img-url"> Previously I had modded my controller to do some of the same things that this does.
For Shooters there is nothing more valuable than being able to "Thumbstick click" with out having to click the thumbstick. This allows you to zoom, or crouch without losing your aim.
Hair trigger locks let you fire semi-auto weapons much faster. And because it is controlled with a switch on each side you can switch between hair trigger and traditional quickly, and independent of left or right.
The ability to swap the sticks and D-Pad is also great. I have large hands, and prefer longer throw sticks not only because it allows greater precision, but because it is more comfortable for my hands. The Sticks are magnetic, and easy to swap. It comes with 6 of them in 3 lengths, with 2 top shapes. It is worth noting that the sticks are easy to remove and the right size to be a choking hazard. So unlike the previous models that are kid safe. This one is not.
The metal of the stick was an unexpected surprise. Not only does it feel better, it doesn't warp when I am over excited which makes the reactions a smidge faster.
The "Faceted" d-Pad is great for fighting games, though at this price tag you might consider a dedicated fighting pad. But the Cross style d-pad has a really great feel for weapon switching and such in shooters.
The "Xbox Accessory" app allows you to remap the buttons and change the sensitivity. This is really cool because you can even change layouts for games that don't support layout, and with the switch in the center you can have two modes, so if you want a Flying mode for Grand Theft Auto, you can have that, and a FPS/Driving layout. The App also allows you to adjust responsiveness, deadzone, and sensitivity. You can even swap left and right sticks if you wish, or invert up/down.
This is expensive, and it doesn't come with the play and charge which I would highly recommend, but it is far better than any of the third party controllers out there.
The fit and finish is spectacular. And the Force Feed back is now multi-faceted. You can have rumble in the sticks, the triggers, or the main body, and with the app you can adjust each. | video-games_xbox |
Under Delivered. I was excited to get Bungie's first game after they parted with Microsoft. The "tutorial" was weak and I had no idea what was what or where to go. THERE IS NO INSTRUCTION MANUAL. No paper version, no digital version, no web version...nada. I was expecting a more social experience based on the news leading up to the launch of the game. I needlessly spent time trying to figure out why I could not talk to players in their social space because the ability does not even exist. After an hour of play time, I didn't pick it up again for about six months.
I decided to try and make another play of the game and started with a brand new character. As before, I was sort of left wondering what I was supposed to do, where to go, etc. So I took to the web in search of information. Hours upon hours of searching as I played through the core game to catch up to get more information, a lot of my searches revolved around the simple abilities of how to actually play the game. I couldn't understand why there wasn't match making in half of it, what the pattern is for public events, enemy types for bounties, etc. etc. etc. It is pretty insane how fragmented information is on how to play the actual game. Various websites, forums, old articles, etc. And on top of that, as Bungie patched items in the game, information became outdated and was still listed in the top of search results. As I gained more experience, acquired coveted weapons, armors, completed raids, I started to like the game. I've never cared for the PVP as it felt dated and slow, except for the "Iron Banner" events they hold. You'll have to look that event up by the way, and then you'll realize your character isn't ready as level caps matter. Thankfully it has matchmaking.
The House of Wolves content is actually really good and brings some fixes to how the story is told, sadly it doesn't fix the core story for new players. For the campaign and PvE elements, it is solid for the most part. Yet again, Bungie doesn't have matchmaking in most of the new activities. You'll have to search for service to find other players. Yep, it's a total pain and you'll waste plenty of time just trying to get a group together to do core activities in the game. Also introduced was a super elite PvP mode that was pretty fun the first week when everyone was new at it; now I play if I just want to be cannon fodder and rage quit. Their wonderful matchmaking system will even put you up against the same team that beat you 5-0 so they can do it all over again. Then there is a new PvE mode that is horde mode type activity with some objectives thrown in. Bungie decided to introduce a level that is higher than the level cap of the game itself. Then they add a boss fight that is ridiculous and not even fun. You can literally spend four hours on this one element and play it over and over again, with new people as players drop out and come in, and eventually have to just give up because you need to sleep. And they have already made some "fixes" to make it better.
Overall Destiny is fun, but is evolving into an elitist game where only the best players and best groups acquire the best items. There are too many in game currencies, not enough matchmaking, no tutorials, single player explore or practice mods for raids and other complex in game activities, way too limited vault space to store gear, inadequate mobile apps, lack of social features, and lack of social features.
This was a great concept and Bungie should just release a Destiny 2 and start fresh with everything learned. A 2nd year of content is simply putting lipstick on a pig. Underneath it all, its a broken game, but the concept for a future release is there and could be very exciting. | video-games_xbox |
Poor Quality Release. I usually think the ranting reviews of Madden every year are overboard, but this is a really poor quality release. I'm actually going to return it, which at $40 for a trade-in is what I paid for it after the Amazon $20 credit for purchasing it. I've played Madden every year since the mid-90s and have never really been upset with a release. There are always glitches and annoyances, but overall the game is fun and realistic so I can live with it. I did not buy 11 last year b/c I just didn't have time to play much. So, Pros/Cons since v10 follow.
Pros
- Sideline catches work now! In v10 receivers would just continue running with no concept of the sideline.
- Graphically it looks better than v10.
- Auto-sprint and auto-strafe are nice additions.
- Half-time is gone, which was annoying in v10 because they would run down the games.
Cons
- Announcers are consistently out of sync with the action both time-wise and action-wise. I just picked off a pass and returned it for a TD for example, and they start talking about how "the CB took a risk on the pick and missed and then he has to hope for Safety help, Safety can live with an aggressive corner" like I didn't even get the pick! Time-wise, you can literally make a first down or score, and no mention of it then when your lining up for the next play all of a sudden "Huge Touchdown right there!" And sometimes a mundane 5 yard catch in the middle of the game is met with "Huge catch there!!" from them. WTF?
- Rosters are horribly out of date, and the game prompted me to update it the first time I played it. Some examples; Palmer is playing for the Bengals, Hasslebeck for Seattle, and Asomugha isn't on the Eagles roster. It's like they never bothered to update the rosters from last year?
- You can't turn off accelerated clock in Franchise mode (it always runs down to 20s), which makes no sense to me and makes it harder for folks that like to adjust their play before the snap.
- In-game menus are really slow. It's very clunky to change formations or the like, to the point where you can easily get screwed up because your hands are moving faster than the menus.
- The overall game is slow, maybe we're reaching the limits of the XBox hardware, I'm not sure.
- Using the A button for kicking is harder than necessary, since it's not as responsive as the stick was so you have to better anticipate timing and mash accordingly. I don't really understand the point of this one, since the stick worked perfectly well. Making kicking harder would be fine, but making it more tedious doesn't work for me.
- Replays! Their on every play, half the time they don't even show the key part of the play and I can't figure out how to turn them off. Again, just another clunky interruption to the gameplay.
It just doesn't seem as fun this year, since you're playing against rosters that aren't accurate and the overall mechanics are clunky throughout the game so I'm sending it back... | video-games_xbox |
RAW = Two Thumbs down Rating. I fell for the hype surrounding this game and now I am extremely disappointed. Everything except the game play was put together perfect (like no other game I seen on Sega, Nintendo, PS2).
I just purchase this game and received it yesterday. I had to force myself to play this game after 5 minutes of game play. I want to warn others about this game before they make the same mistake as I did (and before I let the game grow on me. Ya, right.. I would have to be bored out of my mind in order for the game to do that). Nintendo 64 WWF No Mercy was a way much more better put together game in reference to game play. You had the Royal Rumble, ladder matches; cage matches and when you were pursing a title shot the game took on a story line (even allowing you to choose some of your destinations by answering yes and no to some questions). Xbox WWF Raw does not give you those options (I read the articles that said they do, but it is not in the game).
When I play a wrestling game, I first of all want to have fun, be able to structure a fighting game plan (target one part of the body etc), do more wrestling moves rather then just kicking and punching. So far what I have seen in this game is the exact opposite. It looks like your main arsenal is kicking and punching and running attacks. It's kind of like a free for all (who knows what you are going to do) when you finally get to lock up with your opponent what move your wrestlers will perform. I was really looking forward when advancing for a belt to go through some story line or something, but I have not seen any. No cage or ladder match. They make a big deal about having handicap matches (like 1 vs2, or 1 vs. 3). There is one good match that they added which is the Tornado match (tag team competition with all four wrestlers be in the ring at the same time).
The Xbox did a very good job with Halo, Max Payne, and some of the sports games but this game receives big thumbs down.
RENT THIS GAME FIRST BEFORE YOU BUY IT (at least them you will only be wasting 5 bucks or so). | video-games_xbox |
Awesome Game. I've only just started playing this game but it's awesome! I'm an adult and my genre of games tends towards styles like Mario Bros, Zelda, Spyro etc and rpg games like Neverwinter and the Final Fantasy series. I'm not much for shoot 'em ups and I know I'll get flack for this, but I honestly find Minecraft to be the single most boring game I've ever played. Only mentioning this to illustrate my playing preferences as a gauge for this game. Anyway, as far as playing style it's going to appeal to anyone that likes the Mario Bros/Spyro style of game which I think is most people.
Very very slight down side - I did find the intro a little too long, but it was also beautifully done and the sequences within the game are all good length so far. There's a lot of cleverness worked into this game, too, which makes you have to puzzle solve a little bit in order to figure out how to get through some sections. Again I really like that aspect. The character - Ori - that you play is also a fun little critter, who will gain more abilities as you get further through the game such as wall climbing and double jump. You can also choose to level up various skill sets as your character gets stronger, so in those senses, it pulls a little bit on the rpg structure, but is also done very simple so a non-rpg person will enjoy and not get frustrated or go crazy about it. I also really like that you can save anywhere in the game so long as that ability is charged up. It makes getting through difficult sections much less frustrating.
Regarding content this game is safe for all ages, but really young kids won't have the coordination or cognition (at least not yet) to play this game which is why it's suitable for older kids. Again, think Mario Bros - if your kid can play that one or something similar, they'll probably do just fine with this. Highly recommend this - beautiful, fun for many different gaming styles and so far seems to be an interesting storyline. Would absolutely purchase this again, with no hesitation! | video-games_xbox |
Beautiful game, content and direction lacking. Day one: People are online playing who have subscribed to Microsoft's game pass program for $10/mo, but people who bought the game at $60 are locked out.
Day two: I can now play the game. It is a giant sandbox type game obviously intended for groups of friends. There are no instructions, tutorials. You'll have to read an article online to figure the basic mechanics out, or spend hours struggling. The game is beautiful in a cartoonish way. There is no real storyline. The idea is to accept randomized quests and retrieve treasure or bounties from islands on the map. This builds reputation so you can improve how your basic equipment looks. There's no other progression system. If you choose to play alone, beware. The boat is a maddening race to control as one person. In my few hours of play I was attacked and sunk by multi person crews twice (versus me by myself). My attempts to join larger ships resulted in troll players immediately "throwing me in the brig" where I was stuck until quitting.
From what I have seen so far, I'd recommend holding off- unless you have three other competent friends who are going to buy this as well. Make sure your friends are amused by hours of doing the same thing over and over.
Final thoughts: I've played a few more times. If I join a bigger game with random players I either get thrown in the brig or they find a way to kill me. Once, I found a decent game with cooperative players but we were quickly faced with a sneak attack by another ship and were sunk which caused good players to leave and trolls to come in.
Playing by myself I have managed a few missions. Notably I have done five missions for the order of souls that asks you to hunt Skeleton bounties. Three of five times I get to the last island, 3rd or 4th and last boss doesn't spawn. Looked into it, a "known issue".
Overall, I just don't feel motivated to plug into this game. There's no story, no progression, and every movement is hindered by trolls and what are probably five year olds who aren't capable of running the missions. I have no investment in my character and I am not captured by any mystery or story in the game. It's frustrating because the video game industry could do SO much with the pirate adventure setting. I think this game is a missed opportunity and I will probably go trade it in before it's devalued. | video-games_xbox |
One of the greatest Mecha action games, revisited. Zone of the Enders is a series that always surprise me. First, when I played the PS2 version of Z.o. E, I wasn't expecting much - I had bought it for the demo disk of Metal Gear Solid 2, as "everyone" did - but I was surprised to find a nice storythat pays homage to japanese mecha series such as Mobile Suit Gundam, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Macross/Robotech. It has fun gameplay, and as the title says, "high speed robot action". The game has a few flaws, but none that detracts much enjoyment of the overall package.
Then, I played Z.o. E the fist of mars for the Gameboy Advance (sadly not included with this collection) and was surprised again: now as a turn-based grid strategy rpg, but with the same enjoyment as the first Z.o. E. And finally, Z.o. E the 2nd runner, the best game in this series yet, and one of the greatest mecha action games ever, building a great game over the flaws of the previous one. Z.o. E the 2nd runner is one of the best mecha games, and one of the greatest games on the PS2.
And now you get to play it in HD, on the PS3/Xbox 360, with the intro animated by studio Sunrise - the one that animates one of the very series Z.o. E pays homage to: Mobile Suit Gundam. And to top it all, the HD collection inclused a demo disk for Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. It's funny, and a "tip of the hat" to the history of the series, as well as an almost trademarked "Kojima joke".
The HD collection has a few hiccups: slowdowns on certain events such as too many enemies on the screen (more noticeable on the PS3 version, I've heard), etc. but nothing too serious and just a minor nuisance. The first Z.o. E game hasn't aged too well I'm afraid with some pretty bad voice acting, and quite short, but it all pays when you reach The 2nd Runner.
If you love mecha, buy this game. If you love sci-fi action, buy this game. If you like Hideo Kojima, buy this game. If you want to own a small fraction of videogame history, then by all means, buy this game.
And please, may there be another entry in this series. | video-games_xbox |
Hell for casual gamers, great for anyone else. Let's get it out of the way first: this game aint easy. But despite that, it's also not insanely hard like most people proclaim. If you're used to having your hand held in videogames and mindlessly pressing attack, Dark Souls will absolutely destroy you. But for anyone else, prepare for one hell of a ride. Most battles are challenging enough to be pretty fun but not annoying. The combat is of course its best feature; weighty, fairly realistic combat that generally is very methodical. The game requires thought to progress, and toppling powerful enemies through either expert strategy or pure dumb luck and will is immensely satisfying either way. The world is absolutely gorgeous, and most of the armor sets are cool, so you don't have to spend the first 10 hours looking stupid as in many other rpgs. There isn't much music, but what's there is fantastic. The game's story is mostly nonexistent, so those of you who love plot driven games may be disappointed. With that said, there *are* interesting plot points and lore, but none of it is in your face.
Unfortunately, Dark Souls isn't perfect. As i said, the lack of a real plot means there isn't any narrative incentive to progress in the game. Also, most of the game's "insane difficulty" is hyperbole by casual gamers. Go play Super Ghouls'n Ghosts. That is a hard game. With that said, certain sections of the game are simply tedious, with pitfalls and traps everywhere. After dying, it can be extremely annoying to have to spend 20 minutes trying to get back to where you were and fighting respawned enemies you've killed 10 times already, while still making sure not to get crushed by falling rocks or falling off a ledge. This test of patience is more an enemy than any boss in the game.
Still, flaws aside, Dark Souls is a gem of a game. If you've got the guts and the time, and a little intelligence, this game will rock your socks. Those who like being babied in games need not apply. | video-games_xbox |
Not up to Rockstar standards. This game is pretty weak. I've played it for a week now, and it's simply not up to Rockstar standards. The graphics, the load times, the controls - it all feels utterly unfinished to me and is not something I would expect from Rockstar studios.
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I am a huge fan of the GTA series, and when I heard back in the day that their next video game venture was "Bully", and was going to be different, I was very excited to give it a shot. I was let down.
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Graphics: They're weak. From the jagged edges on your characters' bald head, to the 3rd and 4th finger glued together on every single character in each cut scene, it's just weak. Polygon issues, bad character movement. It's simply not up to snuff.
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Control: From the first minute of playing the game, when I discovered I could not invert the Y axis, I knew I was in trouble. It makes playing hell. Moving and aiming is not smooth and I have trouble getting around on the skateboard and bike. It's just like lower-quality versions of older GTA games.
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Sound: fine. No complaints.
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Load times: Don't get me started! You will do a LOT of waiting in this game! From entering a building to entering a classroom, you must WAIT. It gets really irritating and I find myself giving up playing much sooner than usual.
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Story: You're in school, you go to class, you cause trouble, you do little missions. It's not bad. I do like the classes - each is like it's own mini-game you must successfully complete to get a good mark for that class.
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Gameplay: I mentioned it a bit in the Story - classes are minigames. You can find other side missions. I haven't found any "main" mission yet. We'll see once I complete some classes I guess. What I can't stand about the gameplay is the CONSTANT harrassment of other students and proctors. They are ALWAYS bugging you which makes getting around a real drag.
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Overall: I'm disappointed. This game feels rushed to the market, is incredibly overpriced even at the $15 you see here, and feels really dated. Not worth your time or money. | video-games_xbox |
The best purchase I've ever made on amazon. It was on sale so I got it for 7~8 bucks including the shipping. I bought 2 XBOX 360 pads for my PC and they were all black, which I didn't like very much but that color's the only one that they had. So I decided to buy this custom shells and replace them and it worked great. Trust me people these HDE shells are MICROSOFT QUALITY!! To be honest I was expecting some cheapness from such third party products, because they are not from the original company but the quality is 99.99% same as the brand new original controller shells!
3 things that y'all need to know before purchase !!!! (Super important please DO READ)
There are three things that are different from the original Microsoft shell !!!
1. The part on the top side where the wireless reset button is placed, the original pad says "Microsoft" and this HDE one says "XBOX 360"
this is kinda obvious since they are not from Microsoft. HOWEVER, the way they engraved XBOX360 is so natural and high quality that I think it
is even better than the original logo, which is kinda tiny. I would rather consider this a pro than a con.
2. The bottom grey part is just plain grey colored. Original pads got kind of (little-bit) pearly-shining silver coating that makes the pads look
sophisticated but these HDE pads don't have such high-end coating and just grey. For me it was OK and I liked the plain-grey color as well
but it is the most outstanding difference among three. (TBH doesn't really matter to most people since they wouldn't even pay attention.)
3. The tiny wireless button at the top (circle-shaped) is really tight and this is a really serious problem. I ordered two HDE replacement shells and I ordered the second one a month after I bought the first one. They both had the same issue. At first I thought the hole was smaller than the original pads but as I compared the hole size with the original one, the hole was not the problem. The button part is little bit fatter (or thicker) and just doesn't work as it's supposed to. It is so tight to the hole that I cannot even press the button. Its literally stuck!
I solved the problem by cutting off thin layers around the edge of the button (for the first one) and grinding it little using a nail file (for the second one). Both way worked perfectly and Now they are perfect flawless minty pads.
Overall, I'd still give five stars because even with the button problem mentioned above, you cannot find this great quality shells with this price.
Plus, that button problem can be easily fixed (if you have read my review) with a little bit of effort.
There is no sign of cheapness. The buttons, grip, surface texture are perfect and just same as the original.
I'm really satisfied with my purchase and I highly recommend people to buy this shell! | video-games_xbox |
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell. I'm sorry to say this to all the PS2 zealots out there. Solid Snake has been knocked off the pedestal by Sam Fisher, the hero of Splinter Cell. You, the player, control Sam Fisher. He is a member of the SAS and was sent in by Third Echelon to descover the whereabouts of Agents Blaustein and Madison. Only to descover new things. There are many plot twists to keep you entertained.
The best part about this game is the graphics. The night-vision builds huge amounts of tension and the thermal effects are breathtaking. Although these are good, the best and most important part of Splinter cell is the shadows. They are needed to hide in so that enemies aren't aware of your presence. You can shoot out lights so that you can hide bodies. They also look fantastic. Never has a shadow been cast so well in a videogame.
The movement of Sam is very straight forward. He can sprint,walk and sneak. However, guards can be alerted of Sam's presence by the sounds that he makes. One of the small things that Sam does is called the split jump. He can do this to get above enemies in narrow corridors only for them to helplessly walk under him. You can then release San from the corridor to land on the guard.
The clever use of gadgetry in Splinter Cell is another key factor. There are lots of gadgets but i'll just mention my favourite. It is called the Diversion Cam and can be fired to any surface by using his F2000. You can then make a noise to alert nearby foes. They will look at the camera and at that point you let out some gas which incapacitate them.
This is just a small part of Splinter Cell. There are many things in the final game that i couldn't mention because on some puzzles you need them. However good a game is there is always one problem. With Halo it was too hard (Legendary) and with Splinter Cell you need a lot of patience. Because of this the game can become a bit linear. Apart from that it is the third best game on Xbox. After Halo, Unreal Championship respectively. | video-games_xbox |
In the dog days of gaming, hops out a savior. Everyone knows in the summer, gaming is usually dull and the developers are working to live up to what they had said at E3 a month before the start of the season. Gun Metal is a fresh new title that's a bit short, and the price is pretty good.
Story:
Okay, in Gun Metal, you are in the future and Earth is all crapped up because of us, but from many decades of space exploration, we have finally learned how to utilize warp-holes to our advantage. Many people have moved to new places, but now a new place called Helios is in the spotlight. however only a few get to go and because of this, people start to bicker and fight, but a few make it through the warp-hole and when they finally reached Helios, they closed the gate for what they thought was forever. however, the people on earth opened up the gate to Helios and started to bring people to conqueror the place. the life on Helios used to be good, but now war is destroying the place and your people are starting to lose. Project Gun Metal is finally put into action to liberate the planet of Helios. Failure is not an option. 4/5
Gamplay:
Gameplay for the Havoc (Project Gun Metal Prototype 1, ie YOU!) battle suit and in jet mode is conducted in 3rd person. Mainly, you are a mech (big 40' robot, run 1 km in a matter of seconds) with missles, machine guns, so called "shotgun" for mechs of your size, plasma disc launchers, grenades, and other stuff you can think of the blow up stuff. In "mech" mode, you can strafe, jump, and absorb a limited amount of attacks via a rechargeable energy sheild (Halo, anyone?). and also in Mech mode, you can switch to a Jet, which is an airplane fighter with 10x the speed of the mech and the same amount of explosives. however you do have different weapons. There is no multilplayer in Gun Metal, which explains the below-average price. The single player campaign is short, but you'll find yourself replaying mission because of new weapons and to test new skills. however, the gameplay never goes beyond tried and true, its still a good addition to your xbox game collection. 5/5
Graphics:
Xbox is really an amazing machine that beats the PS2, GCN, and PC (sometimes!) at its graphical power. i would have to say that if you have ever seen halo's graphics, its on par with it. the explosions are amazing and each detail has been paid attention to. 5/5
Sound:
Finally, an xbox game that supports custom soundtrack, yet it is not a racing game! Also, you can hear huge explosion and if you have surround sound with your entertainment system, the bass frequencies get really low so you can feel the explosions! 5/5
Replayability:
This is where Gun Metal falls. it only has a single player mode, and there is only 14 missions in the entire game. no mission takes more than 30 minutes (it shouldn't). some are really hard though, and may take a little longer than 30 minutes to complete a mission (the time counter does not take in account on how many times you retried the mission. some of the missions are really hard becasue you have to keep from destroying something of your ally's and the thing that you have to protect gets broken really easily. 3/5 if you are a casual gamer 2/5 if you are hardcore. if ur hardcore, you'll finish it in about 4 days max and then trade it for something else.
overall:
there is absolutly nothing wrong about this game. replayability may be a slight issue, but this game is excellent and well worth its price. (note, the end missions get really hard, so if you are on the 7th mission, don't say that you are half done!)
i hope this helped you in your decision to buy a new game for your little xbox that has been sitting there collecting dust =) | video-games_xbox |
The sequel to Radirgy, with extra game modes. Radirgy is an arcade shmup series by developer Milestone. If you've played Ultimate Shooting Collection on the Wii, the first Radirgy was included there. This 360 release, Radirgy Noa Massive, is a sequel.
Graphics are cel-shaded, and offer good contrast between the background and bullets. While not as colorful as other shmups on the market, it does offer decent visibility which helps the gameplay.
Those who have played the first Radirgy will be right at home here, and the gameplay is very similar. You can shoot enemies with the normal shot, or use a sword attack for close-range combat. Melee attacks can also used to generate additional pill items that charge up your barrier gauge.
Learning to effectively charge and use the barrier gauge is the key to playing Radirgy Noa and achieving really high scores. The difference in play between an newbie and an experienced player is very obvious: A new player may destroy things slowly, gaining normal points and using the barrier for dangerous situations, while an experienced player charges forth and eliminates threats quickly, chaining barriers together and spending most of the game invincible, all while scoring huge multipliers. This is a game that rewards aggressive play. It's like running across a tight rope, on the bleeding edge of danger yet perfectly safe if you achieve the right rhythm.
In addition to the arcade game, Radirgy Noa Massive also gives us a time attack and "death mode". This pits the player against never ending waves of enemies. Here the objective is to keep them from escaping; a life bar shows how many have escaped an is unrelated to your character's lives. It's an interesting addition that offers a change of pace from the main game.
I can recommend this game to any shmup fans who want to try something a bit different. It takes a while to sink in, but once you figure out the basic concepts, it's balls-to-the-wall awesome. | video-games_xbox |
Adds style and panache to a genre that's been shot to death. I first saw Darkwatch at an electronics convention in New York City and immediately fell in love.
After completing the single-player campaign in Halo 2, I shifted gears to Darkwatch. Where Halo is basically every military science fiction trope (Starship Troopers, Aliens, Predator, Space: Above and Beyond, and Battlestar Galactica to name a few), Darkwatch sets out to create its own genre. And that genre is Wild West Horror.
Darkwatch draws on two sources for inspiration: Deadlands, the pen-and-paper role-playing game, and Pale Rider, a Clint Eastwood Western. Deadlands first combined Victorian gothic horror with Wild West sensibilities, creating a wacky combination of gore and grit. Pale Rider established the notion of a supernatural hero in a Wild West setting. The Darkwatch is a secret organization similar to the one depicted in Van Helsing with access to advanced technology dedicated to keeping supernatural villains under control.
Darkwatch follows the twisted life and death of Jericho Cross, a train robber who decides to rob the wrong train. He unwittingly unleashes Lazarus, an ancient vampire, and thus brings about hell on Earth. For reasons we don't ever fully understand, Lazarus turns Jericho into a vampire. And thus, Jericho has all the cool traits of a vampire, from drinking blood to "blood vision" that allows him to pick out living auras.
What ensues is a visceral shoot-em-up. You can shoot enemies heads off their bodies with a six-gun (called a Redeemer), blow off their limbs with shotguns, and even mow them down with Gatling guns. You can also use a scope rifle similar to the one used in Halo. Did I mention the "rail rocket" AKA bazooka? The game even has a Coyote, similar to the Warthog from Halo. Unfortunately, I didn't read the instructions closely enough; there's a "chieftain" setting on the controller to make Darkwatch's controls match up with Halo's. Which would have helped, as my subsequent Halo games have suffered from playing Darkwatch so much!
Need more parallels to Halo? Instead of the artificial intelligence known as Cortana we have Cassidy Sharp whispering ghostly advice. Jericho has a "blood shield" just like the energy shield in Halo that slowly replenishes. And instead of fragmentation grenades, Jericho throws dynamite...with predictable results. There are even dual pistols that fire in a glorious cacophony at close-range enemies. You can also elbow critters with your ranged weapons, although they're considerably more deadly since in Darkwatch every gun has a blade on the handle. Just `cause it looks cool.
Darkwatch is all about shooting things up. Bottles explode. Bad guys snipe at you from everywhere. And you can fan your pistol, firing at ridiculous speeds. You run and jump across cactus-studded canyons, burning towns, dripping caverns, moving trains, and on horseback. Even the music is reminiscent of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. In short, Darkwatch is most definitely a homage, if a twisted homage, to the Wild West genre it riffs on.
Being a veteran Halo player, I decided to play Darkwatch on the harder setting (Shootist) and I'm glad I did. The game goes by quickly. In addition, the bad guys are repetitive; it suffers from the Diablo-esque tactic of reusing the same enemy model by tweaking it slightly: they're not just evil skeletons, they're SHIMMERY evil skeletons, with twice the EVILNESS! Still, that doesn't keep the aforementioned Reapers from being alternately scary and hilarious. Blowing Reapers' heads off causes them to stumble around in confusion looking for their heads; throwing dynamite causes Reapers to cover their heads and running screaming. And since Reapers lack a lower jaw, they're pretty freaky critters.
Then there are the screaming Banshees that are fond of taunting you. "Run!" they whisper as you run away, or "Dynamite!" when you throw dynamite or my most favorite quote of all, "MY ARM!" after blowing off one of their arms.
In theory, there's a bit of a role-playing element as Jericho whether he wants to reject his vampire/criminal heritage or embrace it. Poor souls, sometimes dead and sometimes living, give Jericho an opportunity to prove his moral character. These choices provide access to good or evil powers, neither of which have a very significant impact on the game.
The single-player storyline is barely coherent and surprisingly adult. There's a video titled Prom Night that will undoubtedly get a lot of replay by male players (my wife thought it was ridiculous). The ending is very abrupt, but I've gotten used to that with games these days.
The multiplayer is excellent; the blood vision power becomes much more important when picking out an intelligent enemy from a distance. The ability to jump really far changes game play, even more than it does in Halo. The multiplayer games can be played with vampire powers turned off, turning it into a traditional Wild West shootout.
Darkwatch doesn't break any new ground as a first-person shooter, but it definitely adds style and panache to a genre that's been shot to death. Playing on hard, I felt I got my money's worth. | video-games_xbox |
honest Halo AE review. I would give the original Halo release 5/5 and consider it in my top 3 favorite games of all time.
Halo AE Review:
BAD
- rampant clipping issues, especially bad is the object getting stuck on the wall, endlessly rotating and looking ridiculous or violently vibrating with that annoying stuck noise...
- button errors (my game on multiple occasions randomly went to the pause menu or threw a grenade when I did NOT hit those buttons)
- left-stick menu navigation too sensitive and will go 2 items beyond what you actually want to select
- new textures very often don't immediately load. the object loads, then the texture. in this respect, one could argue the old graphics where actually superior since they didn't have this issue
these things above are AMATEUR HOUR and seem inexcusable for a flagship brand release.
NEUTRAL
- i don't need to see a warning about Kinect every time i play coop.
- the reskinned graphics are nice, but switching back-and-forth takes longer than i want it to (it's only a second, but that still feels too long). i realize the technical limitations of running 2 engines and skins, but i still wanted a bit more from the graphics. i switched back to the old graphics several times and proceeded along not releasing after 5 minutes that i was still playing with the old graphics...shouldn't there have been more of a wow factor here?
- along with the new skin, i wanted the newer gameplay elements in the single-player campaign, being able to sprint, assassinate, etc, more surprises other than just skulls and terminals.
- timed achievements are annoying (especially with the library, everyone's least favorite level)
GOOD
- inclusion of original graphics, switching back on the fly, is excellent fan service
- good placement of terminals, skulls, a few nice achievements
- inclusion of original maps for reach
- $39.99/$29.99 release price
those problems aside, considering it's a $39.99 release which can in fact still compete with current 2011 $59.99 releases (I'd rather play this than garbage like Homefront or Brink and frankly even over the modern military shooters Battlefield3 or MW3), which could be found a certain points at amazon and newegg for $29.99 new, and you get maps that add on to Reach free, it's a good value.
I hope 343 tackles a Halo2 remake next for 2013 (after the Halo4 release in holiday 2012), since 2 isn't available on XBLA (and is only playable on 360 if you have the orig Xbox disc), but I certainly hope they dump this Sabre engine crap or whatever this engine is...It's just not good enough for the Halo brand. | video-games_xbox |
Destined to never be played again. I'll try to sum up this game as briefly as I can. I would say one of the main complaints I have about this game is that it's so close to greatness, but falls so short. So many levels, weapons, areas and missions are almost exact copies of ones you've played 100 times before (in this game and other bungie games) With a little more effort and programming the game could feel so much bigger and more diverse. Again it's another example of a video game company doing to bare minimum to sell a game rather than exceeding everyone's expectations and making a truly great game.
The regular story really lacks substance and you can really go through it in a matter of a few hours if you know what you're doing. If you're like me and don't have a ton of online friends playing this game in the cooperative missions can be very frustrating. Strangers that you're paired with often leave in the middle of missions and some of them just don't know what they're doing and don't care. The hardest parts of the game (raids and nightfall strikes) you can't even get paired with other players so you're left to try to join random peoples games (not matchmaking) because they're pretty much impossible to beat alone. The game is set up so if you want to have the best gear and actually be able to compete in the multiplayer mode you have to play and beat the raids.
Bungie can't get any tweaks rights. Every small update they have that changes some gun or some armor goes too far or not far enough. It's almost like they've never played the game and have no idea what's going on. I will give you a perfect example. There is a gun called the vex mythoclast which is an exotic gun you can only get from beating a raid on hard mode. This is the toughest thing in the game to do and requires 6 players working in harmony and at a few hours of time. When the first people got the mythoclast they were able to completely dominate multiplayer games because the gun was unmatched in lethality. People complained and bungie made the gun not as powerful. Then people complained that the gun wasn't strong enough and they made the gun way to powerful again. I have 2 level 30 characters (the highest you could be before the expansion came out) and in multiplayer I can usually manage a k/d of at least 2:1. After the change I found myself in a game where half the people were using the mythoclast and found the only way to kill them was with my mythoclast as well. I left and joined another game only to find that every single player was using the mythoclast (that alone should say something is amiss). I find it hard to believe bungie can't make the gun one of the strongest in the game without making it unparalleled. It really seems like they don't have a clue how to get it right.
The expansion (which costs half as much as the game with more similarly priced expansions on the way) is a joke. I am not alone in this opinion every review I have read of the dark below (the new expansion) rips it badly. It adds barely an hour or two of new missions and no good new maps. The guns and armor it adds make that 20 hours you spent getting your favorite gun obsolete because there are better guns and armor now. After you have been playing the game for a while basically all your time and effort is spent trying to acquire the games best gear usually one piece at a time. You can easily spend hour after hour just trying to get one single gun, and then to have bungie make it obsolete is very frustrating. It honestly feels like every time bungie updates or expands the game it only gets worse.
I should say I had fun playing the game at first until I really saw all of it's flaws and repetitiveness. Now that the game has been out for a while if you're new and trying to play the multiplayer you're going to have to get used to having your butt kicked for quite a while before you get good and get the armor and weapons you need to compete. I really hoped that the dark below would make the game enjoyable for me again, but it did just the opposite. The game has gone back in it's box probably never to be played again. Now onto dragon age Inquisition, I hope it doesn't suck. | video-games_xbox |
Customer Service= Horrible. I purchased my Xbox 360 when I was still living in the US. Since I have moved to Hungary for my job and brought it with me. For a little over a year (a year and two weeks) everything with my console was perfect and it worked great here.
Then the unthinkable happened, my unit was one of those with the "manufacturing defect" and needed a replacement. I registered on the website, got the shipping label, mailed customer service (about 5 times) to make sure I'd be getting a replacement US version, not European version. What I received were pre-written messages which never really addressed my concerns. After waiting a month for the box to arrive (surely as Microsoft was paying all costs of the replacement they'd send a box and packaging- Apple does this and it makes sense) I decided to go buy a box and packaging as they weren't sending one it seemed (again no response from Customer Support other than an automated email).
Being the skeptic that I am I decided to write up a nice notice and stick it in the box with my console hoping someone would realize that a European console would not be an adequate replacement. Two weeks passed, then UPS delivered a new Xbox 360 to my door. Sure enough, even though I tried multiple times and in multiple formats I received a European replacement.
Now only 2 of my 8 games work (the other 6 are locked by region codes), I no longer have a DVD player capable of playing region 1 DVD except for my computer, and I am not a happy customer. I decided to give Microsoft another chance and sent them a mail stating my dissatisfaction with their customer service and inadequacy of the replacement- of course the response did not at all address my concerns and only mentioned to call their technical support line (this is a 1-800 number free for people in the US; expensive for those of us who are not). I wrote back saying calling would cost too much, gave them my number, and requested they call me anytime day or night, again automated response giving no information whatsoever.
In summary, the Xbox360 is a nice system, but the Customer Support you can expect is the worst I have ever had. As a result of their inability to provide a true replacement for my console I am out ~$300 in games which no longer work, and I have to re-purchase the more expensive European versions if I want to play them. | video-games_xbox |
One of the most innovative games of the year. There are a lot of people out there who are overly harsh on this title because it is NOT a typical Banjo Kazooie game. Yet, the reality of it is that the gameplay of Banjo Kazooie simply doesn't age that well. Similar to Mario 64 and Gex from a couple of generations ago, it was designed around small levels with multiple tasks to perform to unlock "jiggies", the equivalent of Mario's stars. Yet, what was fun ten years ago isn't nearly as fresh or fun as it used to be.
Rare recognized this fact, and set out to create a new style of game that incorporates an old character into a totally new way of playing, and even spends a great deal of time mocking those old games in the process. Sure, there are platforming elements here; the entire central hub/town is designed around jumping, balancing on wires, finding hidden objects, etc... But the real meat and potatoes of this game is the Lego-like design aspect that allows you to (very easily) make working vehicles that perform different tasks.
Each world offers up several different challenges, and though those worlds will be revisted over and over again there will be plenty to see and do. Tasks vary from standard races, to playing soccer, to designing vehicles that can carry coconuts from one point to another within a given time limit. Some of these tasks might feel repetitive after a while, but the game recognizes this and gives you so many OTHER things to do that you can simply leave for five hours and come back to it later if you want.
The vehicle design system is VERY simple to use, and my two children have no problem building working vehicles. But don't be fooled, there's a physics engine in there that will make winning the game particularly difficult as you progress. While anybody will enjoy the game, and my younger children have a blast playing (especially with the particularly robust, and VERY fun multiplayer aspect), this is a game that requires some skill and brain power to beat.
And beating this game will take you a very long time. Even after you've beaten all the missions, there are still trophies to be won, minigames to play, new things to unlock including new pieces of vehicles, and a bunch of genuinely entertaining diversions.
This game might not be for everyone, and the repetition might annoy some players, but this game truly deserves to be on every person's wish list this holiday season. The price point is absolutely amazing for a game of this quality (less than $40? how can you pass that up?!?!), so there's little reason NOT to pick it up. With its genuine sense of charm and humor, its incredibly innovative gameplay, and a multiplayer mode that puts even the blockbuster AAA titles to shame, this a game that deserves a lot of attention this year. I love playing Gears of War 2 and Fallout 3, but this game finds its way into my drive just as often, and I think that says a lot about the game.
Don't give it a second thought. If you go into this title knowing that it is NOT an old school Banjo Kazooie game, you're going to have an absolute blast. I can't recommend it enough. | video-games_xbox |
A huge huge disappointment. Wow, was I ever excited about Assassins Creed. Looks amazing, huge worlds to explore, and best of all, you get to kill people. It was going to be like the perfect cross between Oblivion and Splinter Cell. What could possibly go wrong?
Well apparently, a lot. Don't get me wrong. Assassins Creed does look great. The cities are a ton of fun to explore, I love the control system and the combat system. The game just has so much potential, Ive never seen a game so enriched in detail before. They realy did recreate the time period and the cities down to a T. Exploring the world is just a ton of fun. As is running around buildings, jumping, fighting guards, etc.
But Assassins Creed has one HUGE HUGE fault, that totally ruins the game from the very beggining. Before your Assassination you have to do some "research", and find out as much about your target as you can. Great, except this requires NO work at all whatsoever. Random makers will pop up on your map telling you to evesdrop on this person, pickpocket this person, or beat up this person. No ryme or reason as to why. Why am I pickpocketing this random person? Why am I listening in on these people's conversations? How do I know I have to beat this person up? No reasearch involved. No skill involved. No answers. Just random markers. You walk over to them, and hit ONE button. No hiding. No stealth. No skill involved. Think Splinter Cell for Pre-Schoolers.
Its actually laughable sometimes how bad the game is. Evesdropping for example requires you to sit on a bench next to two people and click on them. That's it. One button. Its as simple as goddamn super mario brothers. YOU PUSH ONE BUTTON to pickpocket, eavesdrop, and beat people up FOR HOURS AND HOURS ON END. And its the SAME for ALL 9 Assassinations.
And keep in mind, the research end of this is 75% of the game. And its honestly so simple, so stupid, and so repetitive, it feels like your playing an RPG on Super Nintendo again.
The only possible explanation I can think of is that the development team but a ton of time into creating these cities, and a huge, beautiful world for you to interact with, and were going to get to the actually gameplay last, when Ubisoft forced them to put the game out early for the holiday season. This game HAS to embarass the people that, I'm sure, worked so hard on it.
Its like spending a million dollars on building a beautiful, upscale, elegant restaurant, with every detail being perfect down to the T, then serving burgers and french fries on the menu. It just doesn't make any sense.
Its worth a rent to spend some time just exploring the fantastic world they've created, but it will get old soon, as the game itself is a joke. Its just too bad. | video-games_xbox |
The HALO 3 ODST Review, with the MCC bundle. All right, let me say right off the bat, I have not even TRIED the MP yet, so if you want to know about that, read a different review. Campaign is all I was ever interested in on this game, especially Halo 2 Anniversary. Its the entire reason I bought and Xbone in the first place. So here it is.
Halo Anniversary: is just the same as the one for the 360, except that you can't switch between the classic or Anniversary either in the visual OR the soundtrack. That matters to me, I listened to the remaster by Skywalker Sound and I think they needed some fanboys to help with the pacing of the music to connect with the game. Important moments were missing their flavor of tension due to weak audio choices. Also, the 3D option is no longer available. I missed that, because I bought my TV especially to play HALO Anniversary when it came out, so I will never get the same experience with the MCC as I did with the 360 version. No big deal, I was never planning on getting rid of the 360 anyway.
Halo 2 Anniversary: Just gorgeous, looks like a million dollars and plays fluidly, no problems with frame rate or the incessant switching between classic and Anniversary, weapons sound more aggressive, music is for the most part stronger (I missed Breaking Benjamin's Blow Me Away during a fight on High Charity, but that was nostalgia, the replacement track was a placeholder, not as inspiring, but in Return to Sender the new track Impend is UNREAL for getting you pumped up for getting to that bomb) and the cut scenes are beautiful, almost to beautiful, when you switch back to the game its not quite as rich, its like the old days of FMV actors in the Command and Conquer games. It looked SO good in the scenes, and then you had to just imagine it looked that good in the gameplay.
Actually that's really the only criticism I have for Halo 2, the sometimes disparity between the cut scene and the gameplay, its not constant, Delta Halo looks as good as its cut scene, and New Mombasa looks almost real its so good. Of all the levels that look like real locations New Mombasa is highest, and The Arbiter is the lowest (sad, but true) until the flight portion of the mission, then the music and the backdrop and the gameplay conspire to make it really really good. I can't say enough how much this game is made for the campaign lovers of Halo, for us fanatics its like a love letter.
Now Saturday Halo ODST Remastered came out, and that was a severe letdown. I did not expect a Anniversary Edition of ODST, or even a minor overhaul. All I expected was a few tweaks to the game and a nice reminder of one of the best of the Halo titles (seriously, if you missed ODST you missed something special). But what came out was a copy paste of a game we know...with NO improvements whatsoever, and with flaws that ruin the memories! Seriously, the opening screen (in the MCC launch menu) shows ODST as moody and beautiful as you dreamed it could be, but when you get into the game its not at all the same, even compared with ODST on the 360 its washed out! Colors are bland, the stark contrasts are gone, the sense of running around in the dark is missing, the loneliness of being the Rookie just fails to show up. It was a weak attempt at making a gesture of goodwill. I wish they had not done it. The one thing they could have introduced to the atmosphere was a rain element, you get the impression that is what they did when you look at the splash screen because it IS raining! The Phantoms are really clean and wet looking, the backdrop is promising, its all pretty, but its not what you get when you finish the download! The game is a washed out version of itself! It looks better on the 360, and while it plays smoothly that's NOT what a remaster is supposed to do. Its supposed to LOOK better and feel better then the original game. But instead its not even on par with Halo 3, there is no sense of trying to do a good customer service job, it was a little cash grab, on a BROKEN launch title. I was a huge critic of the MCC because I knew of the matchmaking problems and even though I don't care for matchmaking I felt bad for everyone who bought the game for that purpose. ODST was SUPPOSSED to be a "we are sorry for the debacle" gesture, and instead its just another cheap cash grab. It may only cost 5 dollars but seriously DON'T waste the pennies, its NOT what it should have been!
Halo 3 looks and plays a little better then it did on the 360, its smooth, you can crank up the sharpness and the color and it looks better, but its otherwise identical to the game you played on the 360. Good times
Halo 4 still fails to grip me in the storyline department, but the looks and feel of the game and the environment are much improved by running on the Xbone. The game feels as polished as Halo 3 did when it came out. But its not one I will ever drag myself though on Legendary, like I did with Halo 3 and ODST and Reach. Its just not that good a title IMO. But I can say that it feels more "real" then it did. And it looks cleaner and sharper then it did. So those are positives. | video-games_xbox |
An In-Depth Review of Dying Light. Dying Light is often referred to as Dead Island meets Mirrors Edge, and Im having a hard time refuting that statement. But this is a good thing; correction, this is a great thing. Techland has stepped up this time, bringing the gamers an experience that many feel the Dead Island series should have been. Youll find yourselves running, jumping, climbing, and fighting all over the massive playground that is Haraan.
Gameplay:
The mechanics of the game are similar to the Dead Island series, but they feel smoother comparatively. The swinging and climbing motions can still feel choppy, but for the most part, its a crisp transaction when connecting an electrified hatchet into a zombies neck! There are customizable weapons that allow a distinct freedom of creation, allowing additional status effects such as bleeding, toxic, burn, and shock that give Crane (the main protagonist) an advantage over the zombie hoards.
Story:
The campaign itself is great, and the story is compelling, but it is rather short. If you choose to do all of the side quests, youll have plenty of time to spend on the game leveling up your character while connecting to the other characters in the game. If you just follow the story however, you may find yourself completing the game very quickly, and it might diminish some of the overall gaming experience. I recommend playing all of the side quests, as they really add to the overall story.
Multiplayer:
The multiplayer is also really fun. You can play as a human or a zombie, and you can do almost all of the campaign missions with teammates. If you are playing the competitive mode, make sure you have multiple players in the game, as a one-on-one match seems to be unfair for the human player (at least in my experience).
The Games Highlight:
Nighttime is the highlight of the game. At night, you must sneak around the volatiles (the super aggressive and athletic zombies that will tear you apart in an instant) or try to escape their relentless pursuit. Its even more horrifying thanks to the ability to look behind you while running. Theres nothing like being able to see a zombie literally breathing down your neck when you're trying not to die! When you get to a higher level, their threat isn't nearly as severe, but it opens up more options for the player when roaming around in the dark.
Pros:
Leveling up system It works really well and you go from super weakling to zombie gladiator.
Parkour gameplay The open world is just one big playground.
Customizable Weapons Similar to Dead Island, and thats a good thing.
Fun Multiplayer The more online players, the better.
Unique Characters The characters are very captivating, and I found myself caring about them.
Cons:
Fetch Quests I hated having to collect chocolates, flowers, etc.
Short Campaign Once again, do the side quests.
Frustrating Start - For being a very well trained operative, Crane is very weak at the beginning of the game, with very weak abilities. It takes a lot (and I mean a lot) of hits to kill the simplest of zombies, and you can die very easily. Its frustrating, but this frustration is quickly resolved as soon as you get a few levels higher in the power, survival, and agility categories.
Other Information (Degrees of violence, language, etc.)
Violence Level: 4/5
Language Level: 3/5
Action Level: 4/5
Puzzle Level: 1/5
Horror Level: 2/5
Sexuality Level: 2/5
Replay Value: 5/5
Recommended for:
Zombie Lovers
Those that enjoyed Mirrors Edge/Dead Island
Action/Reaction gamers
Not recommended for:
Zombie Haters, or those that have grown tiresome of all the zombie games out there
Children; its graphic, so don't let your kids play this game
Conclusions:
Dying Light is a giant playground that gives you the freedom to do as you please. It contains horror, but not an overwhelming amount of it. It has an equal balance all around that I thoroughly enjoyed, and being a die-hard zombie killing fan, this game quenched my demonic desire for zombie blood. | video-games_xbox |
A must have for any racing fan - motorcycle or not. Let me start off by saying that I have been a long-time gamer from the days of 286 PCs and 8-bit Nintendos and am usually
critical of most games out today. I don't write a lot of game reviews unless I think a game deserves special attention so
more people can become aware of it and support developers who create such quality games. I believe MotoGP 2 is one of them. Even though I consider myself a car racing fan, this title has to be (or very very very close to being) the best racing game for the Xbox, and belive me it has plenty of competition.
The original MotoGP already pleasantly surprised a lot of people when they tried it with their Xbox live demo disc. The second iteration improves even further. Please don't confuse this game (from THQ) with another game with same name on PC and PS2 which is completely different, from different developers. I got a taste of this game from a pre-release demo version. The developers (THQ) did a good job of keeping what worked well in the original and improved further in areas that lacked. The people who made this game definitely paid attention to small details, and when all is added up together, it results in a high quality game.
The graphics are further improved (I didn't think this was possible), distant scenery are added such as mountains and
cities in the horizon. The detail of the bikes are much higher, you can see dirt scrapes and wrinkled metal after you have
a wipe out. These are just some of the examples, there are much more that's hard to explain, but the result is the most
immersive visual experience I have ever seen in a game. The screenshots don't do justice, you have to see a demo or replay
of it in action to get a better sense of the environment. I spent a few minutes after my first race just watching the replay a couple of times to take in all the sights and sounds. It was as if I was actually at the races. There are about 6 different camera views while racing, from low behind the windscreen to a rider's eyelevel, to about 10 ft high behind your bike. The game is smooth, yet fast. Smooth in the sense that everything looks and behaves realistically, but fast just like a real motorcycle race. Nothing behaves like it was pre-programmed, everything seems to flow and collide like in real life, even crashes when your body is thrown off the bike and tumbles, it looks very realistic (and painful).
The sounds are also noticeably improved. The engines sound more authentic, not the generic buzz like the original. You can
get a sense of where other riders are around you just by the sound, which helps a lot so you don't have to glance behind
to see who's there. The race announcer can be heard in the distance as you approach the grandstands. Also new is wind
noise that is a constant low hum that changes slightly depending on your speed.
Gameplay is at its best, along with the solid physics from the original, wet traction handling is even more realistic
(though you can reduce the realism in the options if you're a beginner). When you try to steer the bike, you are actually
making your rider lean that way just like in real life. It is not the instant turn-on-a-dime type of steering in most
console racers. There is real inertia and a solid substantial feel in the bikes. I can actually feel the torque generated
by the engine when the throttle is turned all the way up. As you accelerate, the bike has a natural tendency to raise in
the front, and you have to consciously push down in the front to keep the front wheels down (very much like real-life
high-powered race motorcycles). It's enjoyable just riding the bike on the track at my own pace watching the scenery and feel the bike instead of racing. Similar to that feeling you get when just cruising down a highway on a motorcycle. There is a competition mode called stunt mode were you get to do just that, try to pull off wheelies, endos, burnouts to score points rather finish first. All the stunts simulate what can be done on a real bike.
There are 16 tracks total (6 more than original game). You can create your own custom rider and bike with a lot of options in their graphic design and show them off to others when racing online. The xbox live interface is simple, intuitive, and useful. Unlike so many other xbox live games, this is one of the few games where you can actually see the name of who is speaking when a voice comes on ingame. The new replay option is also a great feature, you can watch the entire race through about a dozen different camera angles and different riders.
I am not exaggerating when I say this title is almost beyond just a racing game, it's a racing experience. A completely
immersive experience for two and maybe three of your senses (Visual, audio, and even feel). We're just missing the taste
of the sweat and dirt, and the smell of the engine exhaust. Perhaps in Xbox 2 and beyond? For now, grab your copy of
MotoGP2 and you won't be disappointed. At least check this game out even if you're not a motorcycle racing fan. | video-games_xbox |
Did not work for me at all; a disappointing waste of money. Worst experience with an Xbox accessory ever. I have the Microsoft brand chatpad for my 360 and I LOVE it. It is solid and well-made and has many extra features/symbols available; it talks to the xbox right away, just snap it on the controller and go. Typing on it is a breeze and always accurate. When I got the Xbox One, I was very disappointed to see they did not come out with a chatpad (yet?), so I came to Amazon and chose this one from among the crowd of third-party mfg. It was the most expensive one, and since others complained the other devices were cheap, I figured hopefully I would get what I paid for in quality.
I was so excited for it to arrive, and when it did, I put it right on the controller, followed the instructions, and fired up the Xbox. The results were a disaster. The chatpad from Ortz had far fewer options for punctuation, symbols, etc. than the Microsoft 360 version. No matter what I did, the connection to the controller felt flimsy, the materials felt cheap, particularly the buttons.
The buttons were a nightmare. They are large for the amount of space they have to occupy, set close together, and made of sticky rubber, which makes it difficult to press only the one you want. The buttons are also incredibly soft and mushy. Pressing the buttons yields highly variable results. You might press A and get AAAAAAA or you might press A exactly the same way with the exact same degree of pressure (sometimes up to five or six times in a row!) and get nothing at all. The same goes for all of the buttons.
I took the chatpad off the controller and went back to the monotonously slow method of entering text one letter at a time selecting them on the Xbox screen and I was actually able to compose the same message significantly faster than with the Ortz chatpad. That defeats the whole point. This product is completely ineffectual. Do not waste your money. This is going back; I plan on waiting to see if Microsoft will make a chatpad for the Xbox one. Otherwise, I will simply do without. If I really just need to use chat, I can do it on the 360, or hey, there are lots of other devices that allow text messaging! :-) | video-games_xbox |
Short and easy campaign, but still fun and the story was interesting. Medal of Honor Warfighter Xbox 360
I found the campaign to be quite short, which isn't very different from the 2010 release of Medal of Honor. However, this time around there are some nice variations of driving vehicles. In Hot Pursuit and Hello and Dubai, the player gets to drive a vehicle almost like "Need for Speed" but in a linear map. The campaign is definitely linear without any doubt. Even on the "Hard" difficulty level, I found the game to be relatively simple with a few situations where it was difficult. The breach shoots can be frustrating at times because with more enemies, it is crucial to hit the right targets in sequence otherwise you run out of slow-motion time and die. The last breach in Shut it Down took me about 20 tries primarily because I'm not that great with using the controller for a first-person shooter. It just doesn't feel as intuitive as a mouse.
I like the lean/peek mode because it reminds me of Rainbow Six 3, and the dual optic mode (aka Combat Toggle) is an innovative and realistic usage of some of the optics. For example, in Shore Leave, the player has an Aimpoint (what appears to be a T-1) with a canted magnifier. Default zooming uses the T-1 red dot, but clicking Combat Toggle enables the magnifier which makes it essentially a 3-4x magnified optic. In other maps, the player has a Trijicon ACOG 4x32 RCO with a Trijicon RMR back-up red dot on the top. The Combat Toggle swaps between the 4x ACOG and the non-magnified red dot.
The game somewhat picks up after the 2010 Medal of Honor game, and the single-player campaign and story is actually interesting. The weapons are repetitive, the enemies all use some form of AK (AK-103, AK-74SU, with/without Kobra red dot) or Remington 870, or a PKP light machine gun. I saw several different weapons in the single player campaign used by the player, my favorites were the automatic shotgun and the FN SCAR MK 17.
Overall: 4/5 stars, cool single-player story, great graphics and although linear - the campaign is still interesting. | video-games_xbox |
RPG ESPIONAGE / SHOOTER. The two companies Bioware and Obsidian have been responsible for most of my favorite RPG games. Add Alpha Protocol to that list.
The overall main storyline to the game, is actually not that great. (Spoilers) The real threat isn't the plethora of middle eastern terrorists who hate us and everyone not like them, it's a rich white guy and his evil cooperation who want to sow chaos and war so they can sell weapons and make money. Liberal Hollywood has beaten that one to death, see Ironman and a ton of other movies. I would have had more respect for the storyline had they stuck to destroying a worldwide terrorist network. I enjoy plot twists, but an evil cooperation again? Getting really old.
The smaller storylines and characters however are mostly quite good and make the game enjoyable. Unlike in Mass Effect or Dragon Age, you don't build a party of characters. You do however meet quite a few people during the game, some of whom will show up to help you in certain missions. That help however is usually pretty limited.
The dialogue, voice acting and music are all are quite good. Graphics and gameplay are good as well, but could be improved upon some.
Shooting wise the game is somewhat similar to Mass Effect 2. You can take cover and shoot over or around things, and you can target enemies or shoot blindly. Stealth is similar to Splinter Cell or Batman. You can sneak around taking enemies down silently in either lethal or nonlethal fashion. In fact you can try to get through some of the shooting missions with hardly firing at all. Shooting missions can range from short to long and some missions simply involve meeting contacts and having a conversation.
The games RPG elements are well done. There isn't too much character customization regarding looks, though it should be enough for most people. The leveling up of abilities is an important part of the game and not choosing and building up the right skills can make finishing parts of the game a real challenge. Likewise choosing the right weapons and armor is essential. Both individual missions and your skill set help determine what equipment you should be using.
You won't have to wonder weather a character likes you. The games tells you immediately whether you have lost or gained likeability points with someone You can view their attitude towards you at any time in the Intel menu. One thing unique to this rpg, is that you have about five seconds to picks conversation choices, so there is little time to sit and scrutinize your response. Also similar to Mass effect, you pick a response along the jist of what you want, such as "aggressive", not quite knowing what your character is going to say or do. I like this approach alot better, rather then simply just picking dialogue and hearing your character repeat it. It keeps you guessing.
Also another really unique feature to this game is that your conversation choices really do matter. Not just with likeability points, but with how the game builds on itself. Your missions may be somewhat different or not take place at all, depending on choices you've made. Conversations and attitudes towards you will vary depending on your previous actions and choices. Some people may live or die, Some girls, may get with you or hate you. Your reputation really does matter in this game.
There are of course things that could be improved. The minigames like lockpicking get a bit tedious, but are not too bad I suppose. The ending varies abit depending on your choices, but should have been longer. The game itself feels a little short, but then again every game does after playing Dragon Age.
Almost all mission maps are unique and well designed, which is a big plus.
The game has a good amount of replayability Try using different weapons and armor and building up different skill sets. Also try making different choices in missions and conversations to experience all the variations in the game. | video-games_xbox |
A good game, close to being a great game. Complaints:
-They didn't go far enough with some of the aspects, occasionally you feel like you're playing a mediocre shooter, a bad racing game etc.
-Kind or frequent clipping issues, and damage to car disappears and reappears frequently.
-A few more vehicles would be nice- other motorcycles without a sideccar, planes, boats.
-BIGGEST COMPLAINT-Terrible camera control when driving, seriously, you stare down at the car to the side or even behind the car for 50% of the time especially when driving fast. I always had to switch to 1st person so i didn't crash because I could not see what was coming any other way.
Despite these it's still a lot of fun, read on for what I liked:
The game runs fine on highest settings on a homebuilt with an AMD phenom processor, nvidia 9600gt, 4gb ram, vista 64bit. A few crashes, maybe 5 over the entire length of the game. I played to 100% completion, which takes some time. The feel is similar to a gta game, but instead of a criminal you're killing nazis. Being the good guy is a nice change for the genre. It's also a lot like assassin's creed with climbing, finding viewpoints, hiding from alarms etc. No haystacks to jump in sadly. Graphics are nice, especially some of the car models. It runs smooth, even with twenty people running and shooting. Damage to cars is extremely unrealistic, as is their handling on dirt roads, but it makes the game easier, and maybe more fun. I was dissapointed in the lack of planes or boats to drive, but there are quite a few street cars, tanks, and some race cars. The map will tell you where all "freeplay" objectives are. It's actually fun to do them, not like typical collection side missions in gta. If there's a nazi V-2 base with sniper towers, AA guns etc., you can scout it out, stealth kill a patrolling guard, steal his uniform, sneak in and plant some explosives, and blow the place. Then escape from pursuing troops. It may grow tedious for some, but a lot of the freeplay targets throughout the map give unique situations. There's also a perk system based on accomplishments in the game, like getting 10 "double kills" with a sniper rifle. These unlock new cars, guns, or skills. I enjoyed it, and now that the price has dropped it's definitely worth it. | video-games_xbox |
Barely good, and quite disappointing. When I got the new Batman Origins for Christmas, I had already read some reviews and knew it wasn't as good as Arkham Asylum or Arkham City. But I loved those so much, I thought, well if the gameplay is pretty much the same, they really can't go wrong. I was wrong. What I was surprised at was just how bad this game is.
Pros:
Uses the same framework as the previous Batmans, so you can still do much of the things you loved form the other, two. But except for the Shock Gloves, nothing really new here to keep you interested.
Shock Gloves. A bit of a pro and con. They are awesome when you need to use them, but sometimes I think they are a cheap way out, too. Also, just holding A to charge up them up to get a data pack...boring. No thought involved at all.
The city is vast and traveling the bridges and rooftops can be fun. As it was in the last one.
Fighting style and scenes is similar to the prior games.
Gordon still rocks. Even though he's not in there much.
I haven't explored the batcave, much but I know there is a training ground in there that looks fun for someone who hasn't played Batman before.
Cons: (Spoilers)
GLITCHES: I couldn't believe how many glitches this game has. It gave me black screens, would not allow me to talk to handlers and stuff when I needed to. There was one point where I needed to jump from a rail to a fence and it wouldn't jump. Batman just walked the rail. It took a couple reboots before I could get Batman to act as needed.
Bosses: They are broing in this one. They are just too easy. I'm not a full-time gamer. I play for an hour or two and then walk away. But I like a good challenge. I want the reward of defeating something to be worthwhile. I flew through the bosses. I had heard that Copperhead was lots of fun, but I found her to be far too easy. Only Bane and Deadshot were decent in my eyes. And even they weren't great. There is no long drawn out Mr. Freeze-like scenario, where you really have to think your way through to stop him. Or Scarecrow where it's all about the strangeness and timing. Nor Killer Croc where he just keeps coming and coming. Bane has a bit of this, but not enough. I am going to restart the game at a more difficult level than normal, but I played the others on Normal and found them to be just the right amount of challenge.
Enigma Data Packs. I can't believe how easy these were. On only one have I had a challenge (so far). In the other games I could usually figure them out, but there were a couple so tough I had to cheat online. That's fine with me. It makes it so that when I really do challenge myself and finally come up with the answer, I am proud I did so. Also, I'm not sure I have any desire to find all the packs. In the other game I wanted to conquer Engima's intelligence. I'm Batman, I'm supposed to be smarter. This one, it's just a nuisance to extend the game's life without any real reward.
Story: The story is really so-so. I thought that having assassin's after me would be cool. Nope. I got rid of them like they were moths to a bat. I thought trying to figure out who hired the assassins and stopping that person would be a lot of fun to figure out. Nope, it's all too readily given to you. Some of the detective work was a little interesting, I admit. But not enough that I can recommend it. Black Mask is supposed to be one of the biggest threats, but amounts to nothing due to a silly story twist that felt like a twist for twists sake, ala M. Night Shyamalan. If you can't see where this story is leading, you clearly haven't watched too many movies or read any comics.
Age appropriateness: I know it has a T rating. But so did the other two, and they were far darker than this one. They seemed to have made this game more for a younger crowd. Gone is the overall dark noir feeling. Gone are the overtly sexy vixens. Gone are the sense of dread and danger. The scenarios seem to be just another object to overcome. Another notch on the bedpost, per se, with no meaning. Gone is the sense of power you get from being the Bat.
Origins?: I thought it would be more like the Tomb Raider reboot. Where Lara is young and has to become the Lara Croft we know and love. And she does this through troubling times and difficult decisions that you as a player feel you have to make. Batman, however already has most of his gadgets. He doesn't really need much to defeat the bosses, and the bosses are often simply dodge and attack. Very repetitive. Where is his learning curve? I knew this isn't year one, but some sense of rookie would have been great. It has more to do with the villians' origins than Batman's, I think.
Overall a very frustrating game. Partly because the others were so good. I mean, GoTY for Arkham City? Absolutely! I'm on my third time playing it and enjoying it just as much. I won't get rid of Arkham Asylum or City. The replay is just too fun. Tomb Raider was excellent, though it struggled at the end. And all of the Dead Spaces are simply stellar (though 3 does have a different feel than the other two). Origins isn't even close to a memorable game and will sadly probably end up at Gamestop as a used game sooner rather than later. | video-games_xbox |
All the game feature. So guys! I love this COD! The campaign was VERY INTERESTING. The beginning was normal, futuristic but normal. But twards the end of the of it it became very abstract. Floating islands of land, Wolves, Voices. GREAT STORYLINE for the most part.
Cool thing about this game is Once you finish the Campaign, there is a second campaign called 'Nighmares' which is the storyline of how Zombies started. This one im dissapointed with because they did not use new maps for it, or even new scenes. They literally took the same storyline scenes and missions but voiced over them changing the story a little from the fist campaign. I MEAN The EXACT SAME MAPS AND STORY SCENES. If an enemy had come running around the corner in the first campaign then the zombie would do the same on that level. So it was kinda like redoing what I already did but instead of being shot at, I was mobbed. Cool music! I havnt finished the second campaign thow. things could get better!
Online play is pretty cool. There is multiplayer, instead of designing your character, you choose from 9 characters that have their own cool talent and weapon. You can only use the talent or the weapon. And you have to level up with kills before you can use it for a short period of time.(when you start, you can only choose from the first 4 characters.) For instance You can choose Battery, a hot chick with a War Machine(grenade launcher on steroids) for weapon, and her talent is a a bullet proof vest called kinetic armor. You can be this character but can only choose her weapon or talent. You can choose from a couple guns to start out with no attachments and the more you sue the gun the more you unlock, like other guns, attachments and cool perks.
There is also something called Arena, I don't understand how it works, I think that before ther game starts you get to ban weapons and certain things from the game? then you play but cant use those things. Its called Arena.
And then there is Zombies. It is the hardest Zombies I've played yet. HUGE HUGE map, i still have not seen all of it. I havnt lived long enough to. There are secret rooms, There are stairs that you can make appear. There are many levels, from a canal, to the streets, to buildings. There is a train. There is a porthole to a weird room with witches. There is a tentacle monster with 3 heads. Giant flying acid spitting bugs. There is just so much! its awesome! There are a couple of other features. Like being able to race on a map that trains you to use the thrust jump, assisted slide, running on walls and other things seamlessly.
All in all, They did awesome. I only wish that i could customize my character more. Like her hair color or what not. But otherwise I fight my man for the controller! | video-games_xbox |
Ok, but needs games and a UI overhaul. Needs games, but I knew they would be unavailable everywhere so I went ahead and bought it. Killer Instinct and Forza alone will keep me entertained. The Kinect 2 isn't as fluid as I expected and using your arms and shouting at the Xbox is cumbersome. This is very unfortunate as the concept is solid, but as usual, Microsoft's implementation is awful. I loved my 360, but this is shaking down to be a little big for it's britches. They should have focused all their energy on developing new IP's rather than gimmicky shenanigans. The interface. God. Don't even get me started. The 360 dashboard is leaps and bounds better than this console. That is fixable with an update but Microsoft is so sold on this Modern UI garbage they are throwing it on everything. Also, no communication with Windows Media Center so you can stream movies to your TV from your PC? What kinda crap is that? 360 did that 7 years ago!
Minus points for requiring Gold to use Netflix, Hulu, and Prime Video - services I already pay for. That's just tacky, when any other console doesn't require a membership to use basic streaming features. Hell, TV's do it now-a-days for free!
As for games. Forza is lacking tracks, but it's gorgeous other than some anti-aliasing issues (thought we were past those types of problems, but whatever Microsoft). Ryse: is a hack and slash. Beautiful, but repetitive and short. Killer Instinct is wonderful and brilliant, so I am glad. It was done so right! That's the savior of this launch lineup.
I'll play any IP's on the Xbox, but my iMac is twice as powerful. If the game is available for windows, I'll just bootcamp and play Steam games to my heart's content with my 360 controller. Can't really make a case for the $60 games anymore when they are $10-$20 on Steam during the sales they have all the time. We'll see. For now, this console is a big fat "meh." | video-games_xbox |
So much potential, but falls short of satisfying. Hi, I don't review many products however as an avid baseball fan and Xbox gamer, I feel compelled to review MLB 2K 12. First you should know, I am a Mets fan. So please know that my expectations are NEVER too high. The best aspect, and also the most frustrating of this game is the MY PLAYER mode. You create your own player, give him whatever name you desire and assign him a position for both the field and batting order, as well as the franchise he will play for. I selected Shortstop and Leadoff hitter, and I obviously assigned him to the Mets. Your newly created player starts in the minor leagues, A - ball, and hones his skills (You earn SKILL POINTS to assign to your player's fielding, batting and base running abilities.) until he gets called to the majors. I'm not sure what happened to Double and Triple - A ball, it would add to the game if you could develop your player against more difficult competition, but as you read this review you'll understand why that's not really important. Also, you continue earning skill points and developing your player even after you reach the majors. My player was called up to the majors the 2nd week of July during his 1st season. The games move quickly, because they have what's called a SUPER SIM and you only actually PLAY during your at bats, or if you have a potential play in the field at your position. Okay, the frustration begins. The N.P.C.s (i.e. your teammates) have the baseball acumen of road kill that's been baking in the hot August sun for 3 days on the side of I-95. An example: Slow runner on 2nd base, (My speed has advanced to 81 out of a possible 99 at this point) and my player is batting. I hit a ball that reaches the fence in Right-Center field (Ya know, the GAP) and I'm thinking triple all the way. As I'm rounding 2nd base, the center fielder has just gotten to the ball. My team mate (remember, road kill) is standing on 3rd base and not moving. He should have scored. For reference, his speed was 62 out of 99. This type of issue is not a onetime thing. Also, in MY PLAYER mode you have absolutely no control of your team mates. During each of your at bats, you are given a GOAL to achieve for additional skill points. A common goal is to DRIVE IN THE RUN(s) if there's a runner on 2nd, or 2nd and 3rd bases. Frequently the runner on 2nd base simply won't progress beyond 3rd. It doesn't matter where, or how hard the ball is hit. Road kill. Another very frustrating part is the N.P.C.s inability to understand the in-game situation. Every little league boy or girl learns early on, if there are 2 outs and there's a runner behind you, you run on anything. The road kill simply stand there and wait to see if the ball will be caught. If it's not, they are much less farther along than they should have been. Finally, I mentioned the GOALS that are assigned during each at bat. These are apparently random and also don't take into account the in-game situation. Losing by one run, top of the 9th inning with runners on 1st and 2nd. The goal, GET AHEAD IN THE COUNT. That doesn't sound so bad until you realize in order to get ahead in the count, you must take at least 1 pitch. If it's a strike, you're automatically in the hole (behind in the count) and having to take at least 2 more pitches to get ahead in the count. If either of those pitches is also a strike... well, you get the idea. A nice thing about this game is that you play with and against actual Major League players. Stepen Strasburg of the Washington Nationals is a phenomenal pitcher. During my 1st at bat, the goal again was to get ahead in the count. I fouled off 15 pitches, had a count of 1 ball 2 strikes before I finally struck out. He doesn't throw balls early in the game. When I came up again in the 3rd inning, h3 had thrown a total of 49 pitches, only 4 of them were balls. I'm now in my 3rd season, and the problems have only gotten worse. The reason is as I mentioned, MY PLAYER continues to develop while the N.P.C.s are stagnant. This game has so much potential, but the level of frustration far outweighs the fun that's provided while playing it. The best baseball franchise for the Xbox was MVP Baseball by EA Sports. Unfortunately, they lost the contract to 2K. I hope that when the contracts are up for bid again, EA wins it back. | video-games_xbox |
Counterproductive Trash. I am one of the fortunate ones who has an Xbox 360 that has worked beautifully from the day I got it. However, with all of the other unlucky owners who have been having overheating problems with their systems, I felt compelled to protect my 360. Sure, Microsoft extended the warranty to 3 years, but why be without my 360 for several weeks if it can be avoided? For a long time I sat and wondered if buying an external cooler was necessary. After playing through Saints Row and having the game freeze or stall on me several times, I was convinced I should. So I bought myself this Nyko Intercooler thinking "aside from spending 20 unnecessary bucks, what can it hurt?"
Apparently a lot. Fortunately I realized this before it too late but this thing was doing more harm than good, and for others who have purchased this, it was too late, and it killed their 360. Apparently drawing power from the 360 makes it even more prone to overheating.
Technically, it works. It's easy to install, and the fans increase airflow. But what difference does it make if the fans work if it overheats the 360 anyway? Oh and if I'm not mistaken, Microsoft's warranty doesn't cover damage done by this product because it's an unlicensed product. Super!
I should note that aside from the problems in Saints Row, which I've found are from flaws in the game's engine itself and not the actual hardware, I had never had problems with my 360. But while the Intercooler was attached, I got the Red Ring of Death 3 times, which made my heart jump out of my chest but it was only momentary and started up fine on the next attempt each time. After hearing some very unhealthy noises (this thing is LOUD and I was afraid my CD tray had been damaged or something - seriously, it rivals the noise from the nearby landing planes) I removed this piece of junk. Now, I cannot confirm this is what caused my dreaded RROD but guess what? Yup, no more errors! Coincidence? I think not.
Just do yourself a favor and stay away from this thing which appears to do the exact opposite of what it intends to do. Either find a licensed product or trust that your 360 will stay in good health. If it doesn't, the warranty covers you. | video-games_xbox |
Easily the game of the YEAR. Rarely does a game so hyped up live up to it's expectations. They can be very good and serviceable, but they don't blow you away. This game blew me away after just five minutes. Having just experienced the awful second installment to KOTOR, I was jonesing for a good RPG. I really enjoyed Fable, but it was waaaaay too short, and it seemed liked it was a little rushed out to the market. It was still a very good game though.
Jade Empire blows it away. Everything that was great about Fable, is even better in JE. Everything that was lacking in Fable, they not only fixed it in JE, but they NAILED it. Let's go down to the specifics.
**I need to add this disclaimer as I have noticed distinct differences in game reviews based on the reviewers entertainment system configuration. If you don't have a system which can fully exploit all aspects of this game, then you might not rate it as high as someone who does. I fortunately have spent way too much money on my system, and can fully enjoy it in all it's glory.
Graphics:
It's about as good as it can get on the Xbox. For those of us who also play PC games, we have gotten a little spoiled with the amazing graphics that have been coming out on the current PC titles; but graphics are not just in the clarity and resolution. JE has AMAZING cinemagamophry. There are scenes that are truly breathtaking, where I just panned around taking in the amazing scenery. I found myself trying to find a print screen function to capture those pictures, like I was a tourist on vacation.
Audio
The sound is really, really well done. There were times that I thought I was hearing things outside my window, and was kind of embarrased when I found out it was just noises coming from the game. Ah, surround sound at it's finest. I did have to do some tweaking in the Audio options to really set the sounds to where I most enjoyed them, but it only took a few minutes and made all the difference in the world. I recommend to stop sometimes, enjoy the scenery, and listen to the ambient noises that have been added. Bioware really added a vast amount of wonderful sounds, that only adds to the depth and richness of this title.
Gameplay
This is where Jade Empire really excels. Fable had an enjoyable fighting system, but did not nearly have the same depth and complexity as Jade Empire. Jade Empire's fighting system will be emulated for many years to come. It really was able to setup a simple system in which a beginning user could pick it up and start fighting right away, while giving the advanced user the complex fighting system that we always yearn for. The fact that it automaticlly pauses the game when you want to switch to a style that is not set in your D-pad is such a huge improvement, that I think this will be the standard for all console games from here on out. Not only were they able to achieve this without taking away from the flow of battle, but Bioware was able to enhance it. Truly amazing.
Jade Empire has the same action, consequences system as Knights of the Old Republic, but it is a lot more in depth and rewarding. I also noticed there was a lot better opportunities for anyone who wanted to walk the Way of the Closed Fist(bad guy). I'm going to start all over again, playing as a Closed Fist character, to see the difference. I loved the fact that you could also romance both female leads, and get them at the end. Nothing feeling like a real hero, when you can convince two women that it's perfectly OK to date both of them at the same time without having to give your credit card number.
Overall
If you're an RPG buff, this is the game for you. If you loved KOTOR and Fable, you will worship this game as the new Messiah, who brings beauty and truth to your life. If your a Graphics Nazi, you might not get past the lower level graphics that are presented on the Xbox, and might feel that this is a negative. Until Xbox 2 comes out, this is about as good as it can get. This game has really set the standard for all current and future RPG. Knights of the Old Republic revived and renewed it, JE has perfected it. | video-games_xbox |
Great Game, Not Quite Up to GTA Standards. This game is actually pretty good, the people who say the game is frusterating and the hacking is brainless and are complete retards
Story
The game takes place in Chicago, and you play as Aiden. A brilliant hacker who has suffered tragedy when having his three year old niece killed after a heist gone wrong partly due to him, he tries to find his nieces killer.
Hacking
The main difference between this game and GTA 5 is obviously the game lets you hack and basically gives you the ability to control and know everything about the city. With the hacking you can change traffic lights, blow up steam pipes and open bridges, and lots of other stuff. I know that people that give this game 1 star say the hacking is just a brainless action, but in actuality it is supposed to be easy and quick, to evade the cops, or look through another camera angle. Also its not always easy 1,2,3 sometimes on missions to hack devices you'll have to actually hack it with a process.
Gameplay
This game has ton of missions and side activitys to do, and thats not even include multiplayer. You can follow the main story line or do side activitys to stop gang violence or race. The really interesting thing about this game is that the single player mode also crosses over with the multi player mode. When you're playing in single player, another player can come into your game and hack your infromation(and you can do the same thing to other people), I know alot of people say that the hacking is really annoying and happens 24/7, in actuallity it's pretty fun and only happens once in a while. Now also alot of people say that the driving controls are terrible, obvioulsly they aren't up to GTA standard but they aren't as bad as everyone says they are.
Cons
-Some of these missions or tasks are really really difficult to complete, and can get frusterating.
-Also the character Aiden is called a vigilante of Chicago, and depending on your reputation with the citizens of Chicago, decides whether people are on your side or not, eg if your reputation is bad (which it most likely will be, it is really hard to have a good reputation), the cops will be looking for you and the news channels will report information on you, and since the people hate you they will call the cops on you 24/7 even if you don't do anything bad.
-This may just be me but... I feel when ever i play this game I suffer really bad motion sickness and often suffer headaches when playing, it may just be me but thats the only time i've expirienced motion sickness like that, but then again it may just be me.
Overall, If you are looking for a game in the style of GTA but with a little twist this game is perfect for you, also its really good. | video-games_xbox |
Easily the weakest Splinter Cell game to date. First of all, half of the reviews on here have to be plants. In reading their descriptions, they had a completely different gaming experience than me. The Splinter Cell franchise is probably my favorite ongoing series, and this game was one of the reasons I bought an XBOX 360 (especially since I've seen predominantly stellar reviews). So I'll differ from the rest and say that, while this game dresses like a SC game, it's more adequately characterized by moderate attempts at renovation which fail from lack of execution.
Let's start with the positives. Obviously, the graphics are UN-BE-EFFING-LIEVABLE throughout most of the game. This is no surprise, though, given the amazing graphics we've come to expect from this series. There are blatant environmental upgrades in Double Agent, regardless of whether or not you're descending along the face of a skyscraper, prowling across rooftops...whatever, that just beg for you to stop and enjoy the scenery for a moment or two. Also, the in-game save feature is a must for all of the Splinter Cell games because we all know that things can get messy in a hurry and the less you have to repace your footsteps the better. Finally, Michael Ironside returns as the voice of Sam Fisher, with a dark, gruff command we know and love.
Which brings me to my first gripe. The storyline here reduces Sam Fisher to a cross between Jack Bauer of "24" and Locke from "Lost," rather than a stone-cold, military hardass who could wipe both of them out without so much as blinking. With regard to story, this is not a Splinter Cell Game--it's an extended episode of "24" that plays out over the course of a few weeks or so. With Sam's daughter being killed at the beginning, I expected Sam Fisher's badassery to augment, not subside, as he's given a love interest and is thrust into a new setting with an underground terrorist group decorated with colorful characters who are also cardboard cutouts of television shows a 'la "24". Give me a break. These games have always been more or less "park your brain at the door" but at least they used to be grounded in the real world. This game is television.
Gripe #2: The controls. Horrendous. Expect to sneak up behind an opposition with the intention of quickly and stealthly knocking them out, only to have the controls become unresponsive because the game is seemingly EXPECTING you to grab them. Or, vice-versa, you will find yourself expecting to grab an opposition, only to have them repeatedly take one step out of your grasp forcing you to frequently bump into them and...well, we all know what happens next. More often than not, though, Sam will merely sneak up behind an opposition and just sit there doing absolutely nothing while you smash buttons hoping the guard in front of you doesn't decide to turn around. All in all, I'd say something similar to this happens about 25% of the time I'm in such a position, which is huge when you estimate that 1 in 4 guards will eventually get to turn around a blast you away just because the buttons were nonresponsive. Really frustrating.
Also, Sam's little ability to step off of a ledge then turn around and grab onto it? You never know when that's going to work here. Based on my experiences from previous SC games, I found myself constantly walking off ledges to wait for an opposition to step close to my stealthy reach, only to find myself committing suicide in mid-mission. Furthermore, sometimes when you are hanging from a ledge, Sam will just let go and plummet to his death without you so much as pressing a button. I thought, for a second "oh wow...Sam must get tired in this one...that's a little more realistic". Nope, it's just bad programming. On one other instance, I left him hanging in the same place for about 20 minutes while I ate dinner and nothing happened.
Finally, the gameplay is just flat-out ridiculous and tedious most of the time. Laughably so, even. Objectives are vague and leave you, primarily in your JBA headquarters, left to wander around aimlessly until you finally put two and two together to figure out what the objectives are actually trying to indicate. In one instance, you're even given about 25 minutes to complete a major objective, only to find out that you're not actually supposed to complete the "major objective". You're supposed to finish the other objectives then let the 10 minutes you have left simply run out so that you see a "cinematic" where Sam completes said objective. How the heck you're supposed to figure that out is completely beyond me.
Anyway, the game has its moments where its the Splinter Cell you love, but for the most part...I'll keep waiting for a next-generation SC title that's worth the pricetag. | video-games_xbox |
A Star Wars gaming classic falls to the dark side. First off, I am an avid Star Wars gamer. I have played pretty much everything Star Wars for Gamecube and Xbox.
I am a huge fan of Battlefront 1 and have invested many hours playing it. So, when Battlefront 2 was announced I waited with great expectations. On the day of release I was there picking up my copy.
Unfortunately, after a month of playing, I find myself wishing I had been sick that week and waited before I pluinked down my hard earned cash.
Simply put, they (read: the developers) went and horked up the game. I assume they believed deep in their hearts they were improving things. Or at least I hope they were. But, as often happens, a follow on development team takes over a classic and decides to make "just a feww tweaks". Arrrgh!
The gameplay has declined from BF 1. Yes, you have more worlds to play in but they are smaller, less grand than the original. Where is my huge battle of Geonosis I came to love? Gone. Now it is a smallish arena with no major feature of interest. And that's one point gamers of BF 1 will see playing this game: There are no memorable features to any of the battlefields. Case in point: What happened to the command post names? Gone. On Yavin 4 temple I miss seeing the "Dry Pool" fall and rush over there to retake it. I miss hitting the overlook early in a gambit to eliminate sep tank production. In BF 2 there are no place names for the command posts, just an audible "A command post has fallen". Arrrggh!
You can't play several of the characters immediatly from the get go in a mission. For example, the Clone Jet Trooper, by far my most favorite unit is not available until I have killed a certain number of enemies. Also, the unit has, in gaming terms, been "nerfed". In other words, made less powerful than his old version.
Here's a killer for me: The old method of giving commands to other friendly characters has been changed. From an available four commands I am now reduced to two. "Follow Me" and "Disperse". Follow Me used to mean in BF 1 that nearby units would follow along with you and take action but generally stick with you. Now I use that term "stick with you" to set you up for my description of the new "Follow Me". In BF 2 a nearby unit will now EXACTLY mimic your every move. Stepping when you step. turning when you turn. At one point I had two other clones with me and I formed a dance line with them. My kids were rolling on the floor with laughter! The look and the action was absolutely rediculous.
The space battle capability is mediocre and after the novelty wears off you realize that it is not nearly as fun as what you imagined it would be. And they took away the the LAAT/i gunships in land battles for that! Arrrghhh!
Another last point and a deep deep dispointment. The big guns of the game are gone. The main gun on the AT-TE shoots little tiny blasts that must hit precisely to do real damage. I miss the devestating firepower of the BF 1 version where the cool-down was long but when that puppy connected every sep in the vicinity said good night. The same goes for the AT-AT guns in the Hoth battle. They have been reduced to pea shooters not the devestating guns they should be.
I could go on but I leave it to you gentle gamer to decide for yourself. My reccomendation is to wait until this game becomes used at 24.99 or less, or even just go rent it and try out the jedi and work your way through the story-line game.
Why did Lucas Arts and Pandemic fall down completely on what should have been a blockbuster follow-up? I can't say. But I hold the development team at Pandemic and the approvers at Lucas Arts responsible for letting this chum out of the bucket. | video-games_xbox |
An unfortunate case of "Yes, it works but. I've been playing Rock Band 3 for the past couple of days with my friends. Before I continue, I'll outline my set up. We got the new keyboard, but have not yet bought the cymbals for the drums, and not planning on a pro-guitar until the Squier is released next year. So this is not a review about the touted 'Pro-Mode'.
This is a review for the people who have been waiting for the next evolution of their beloved Rock Band franchise.
At this moment, I'm hesitant to recommend this game too highly over Rock Band 2. Peripheral-wise, the keyboards sound like a great idea on paper. There is sufficient Pro-mode Piano instruction to get you started, and it looked like it could be fun, but the majority of songs we've played so far indicate that there are long pauses of nothing to do when on the keyboards for most songs. In addition, if you are playing with the game's 'random set-lists', you will be limited to songs that support it specifically--which amounts to maybe 60~ of our library of 250 songs. A little annoying to say the least. When making a set-list, you can use the keyboard as a guitar or bass, but it only seems relevant and fun in a few rare songs, like the Gorillaz 'Clint Eastwood'. When playing the game normally, we always have a tendency to avoid picking up the keyboard because it will limit our set-list so tremendously, which absolutely sucks.
Moving on to the gameplay and campaign, it is set up in an interesting, yet disjointed fashion now. Character creation is an absolute blast, and seeing my friends and I strutting through the city looks absolutely awesome! But there are no longer personalities to choose from, and so all characters on stage seem rather...the same? In Rock Band 2 we all laughed as our friend with a mohawk rampaged on stage; now my girlfriend's character may be doing that...or me. Eh. Also, is it just me or do the stages themselves seem more bland? In Rock Band 2 it was always a joy to go to a new venue and see our band's art on the stage somehow, and examine the stage's quirks. The fret-lanes that you play on as well take some time getting used to, and are decidedly more busy, but functional after spending some time on it. Not entirely sure if it is for the better.
The story is the typical 'rags to riches' fare, with a more personal feel to it as cut-scenes you unlock contain your characters in them and are usually pretty humorous. Getting your first van was one of my favorites. Also, instead of choosing venues to play at, you will now go on tours which revolve mostly around America. Your band is hypothetically located around the North-East, and the whole game's tours unveil around that fact. This creates a more linear affair, but also more personal. I like it.
What I don't like are questionable changes and ideas, and for lack of a better word, glitches. For one, Rock Band Stage Kit no longer works with the game. The game also has a tendency to stutter and have frame-rate issues in the middle of songs, which makes it heck on the singer every once in a while(it gives me headaches). The lack of personalities leads to odd sights on stage, where in one scene two people will be singing together, and a split-second camera change later, they will be on opposite sides of the stage. Huh? This omission really cuts down on the immersion when you realize that all of the videos are completely cookie-cutter and in no specific, logical order. The costume pieces(and every other character customization feature outside of body-sculpting) are mostly hand-me-downs from Rock Band 2. Disappointing.
And forget about playing Guitar, Bass, and Keyboards with your friends; you'll have to turn on All-instrument mode if you use this combination at all, and so drums and vocals will be turned on, with the vocals defaulted to easy, no-fail 'karaoke mode'. This was designed around the idea that only 4 players can be logged in at once, so the vocalist is the odd-player out by default...but even if you don't want a vocalist, or don't want a drummer, this is what you will have to use. You also won't be able to play on xbox live with this mode. And did I mention the venue will default to 'trippy music video' since the game doesn't want to render the crowd?
This All-Instrument Mode(AIM) is a complete fail in my mind. You won't even be able to pick your character as the vocalist. There HAS to be a better way to do this.
However, the set list is insanely fun, and you will be doing a double-take on many of the songs you hadn't thought you had heard before. You have. Trust me.
All in all, a fun game, but it has several glaring issues that have me wondering out loud, "What were they thinking!?" | video-games_xbox |
Peak of the series. AC IV: Black Flag has been out for over a year now and chances are you've already heard of it, so this won't take long.
Do you want to be, or have ever wanted to be, a pirate? Buy this game. Do you have fond memories of Sid Meier's Pirates from gaming days of yore? Buy this game. Have you ever enjoyed any AC game of the past? Then buy this game.
This is easily the best Assassin's Creed game since ACII, and may be the best of the series, period. It's very light on the present-day sci-fi story elements (which have always been a bit forced, frankly), and very heavy on the free-world adventuring elements (which have always been one of the series' biggest strengths). Best of all, the world opens up early thanks to you getting command of your ship, and the only thing that keeps you out of certain parts of the world is the strength of the enemies you find there. Upgrade your ship appropriately, and the (game) world is your oyster.
Every AC game is loaded with side quests and collectables, but there hasn't always been a compelling reason to find and complete them (unless you simply wanted to). This time around, many of them add to the core experience, even if in subtle ways, it's very satisfying. Collect a new sea shanty, and you'll hear your crew singing it out on the open seas. Buried treasure may yield a unique plan to upgrade your ship. Hunting creatures will yield the materials for upgrades to your armor and accessories. And a bunch more. It's all optional, but there are real in-game reasons to complete at least some of the side content, aside from collecting achievements and trophies.
The world is well realized, and mostly accessed real-time without loading (with the exception of the major cities and a few other key locations). Sailing the open sea is a delight, though instant quick-travel to almost any location becomes available after you've 'discovered' it the first time. You'll play the game for hours and hours before you're tempted to use it though. The sea is chock full of uncharted treasure islands, ships to hunt down and plunder (or just blow out of the water), and forts to capture.
Combat is mostly the standard 'counter to win' AC affair, with some twists thrown in from higher-level enemy units or your special abilities. You can still take on crowds of enemies alone and emerge victorious, which can make you feel like a hero or like the combat is just too ridiculously easy, depending on your point of view. Stealth is included in the game, but is almost never required aside from a few baked-in story sequences. | video-games_xbox |
An average time killer. I seriously picked this game up on a complete whim. The games concept, to me, was hilarious, at best, and this game would either be very sad or mediocre, again, at best. I will admit I was mildly drawn in by the main characters looks and costume; I was actually looking forward to battling my way through hordes of enemies with her, much like I did with Blood Rayne. On that note, I think users can expect a bit of influence from the Blood Rayne concept that has seen a good amount of success.
You play as Alicia, who is a scantily clad witch that also happens to walk around in stiletto heals and carry an oversized gun. I really don't understand this penchant with oversized weapons like we see in Final Fantasy, for example. They're just unwieldy and no one could logically use these things. I realize the developers want it to look like her "broom", but that's just kind of goofy. Ah well, either way she is definitely the best developed character in this game and basically the best scripted during the video sequences. You end up learning about her history as the game goes on, but when it starts you're in a small suburban town on the outside of New York City and it's being attacked by these undead looking creatures. Apparently demons are attacking the world and when the army was sent in they were possessed or something, because there are vast amounts of soldier demons. However, Alicia certainly isn't defenseless for she has magical powers and a gun rod at her disposal. Basically you fight your way through the stages, meet up with some other human defenders, and learn more about the story behind why the demons are attacking.
Yeah, it's a pretty basic game, but it was decently fun while it lasted. There are some really cool things you can do in this game, but there are some major hang ups as well. Character control was pretty decent, I really like the fact that Alicia can jump really high in the air. She manages to execute some really intense jumps; similar to what we saw on Blood Rayne, but it naturally makes me wonder how she lands in those high heels... Anyway, the user view feels a little weird because you're basically always focusing off to the right and even more so when you use the zoom function. The zoom function is hugely necessary, but it has some serious problems too. Such as if you're trying to hide or have some sort of cover and there's something behind you don't expect to be looking at the enemy you're aiming at... yeah the camera doesn't compensate for objects behind you so you see the inside of them. This is even more frustrating with some of the human defenders that follow you from time to time, they constantly step in front of you while you're trying to aim at something or stand RIGHT in the way blocking the camera. They seriously need to adjust some parts of the AI for this game, because it's pretty twitchy. Like the game should know I'm trying to zoom because the view is so limiting so get those extras out of the way! I was pretty glad when they were eventually killed off half the time. The same goes for the enemy AI. A lot of times you're in a situation where you need to completely kill all the enemies in the area before you can progress only to find out there's some random soldier demon too stupid to realize he's walking into a box.
The world you're put in is very lush and well developed. I would put it on par with Half Life 2 even, in terms of quality. However, it's much less interactive. I really wanted to be able to go into houses and explore many different areas. You really don't get to do any of that with Bullet Witch, unfortunately. The world and levels is actually surprisingly large and there are a lot of places your character can go, this is especially good in a city setting because you get to explore a lot of cool alley ways. However, Bullet Witch left out some very important things for maps this large. Basically, there is no map function. I have basically no idea where I'm going or what my position is and when you're in the forest it's sometimes hard to tell if you've gotten turned around until you find that tank you blew up. It looks like the developers learned from Halo only half the time, a Nav point does show up from time to time to help you out, but it's quite a rarity. With levels this long and large where there is a lot of walking, and you have no map, a Nav point is almost essential to your success without wandering around for an hour like I did in some cases. Don't get me wrong, I like to explore the game; I just don't like it when it's forced on me.
Another part that was really cool about this game was that it has a degree of Role Playing feature in the fact that you get points and you can upgrade your weapon and magic abilities. I thought this was a great feature and I'm really glad they included it so I could choose what I wanted. These options and the different feel of guns or magic that you could use was probably the best part of the game. My favorite magic weapons were the "rose spear" and "lightning". Lightning was absolutely essential for this game when you came across tanks or large enemies. Meteor Shower was awesome in concept, but somewhat impractical because it caused so much destruction. However, the destruction it wreaks is quite awesome. The one problem with the magic is that you have to go through a menu of sorts to pick out what you want to use. However, the game isn't paused while you choose your spell, things just keep going. The most annoying aspect was when you use a big spell like Lightning or Meteor Shower it goes to a cut cinematic every time when you summon the power. Again the enemies don't pause they keep shooting at you and they keep moving, I realize that's more realistic, but it's not useful in a game. This is immensely frustrating with Lightning because after the cut sequence you then have to aim where you want to fire the lightning and the enemy you want to shoot may have moved by then and is now out of range!
Overall this game had its good moments and its bad moments. The story wasn't anything spectacular and the script during the cinematic sequences was pretty terrible at times. Like the guy playing the male love interest (which I don't know why that's even in this game) he has the worst lines. To the point where he just sounds stupid and annoying! Regardless the graphics during the videos was great and rather akin to Final Fantasy's "The Spirits Within" movie. As a gamer I wouldn't expect a huge amount out of this game. It can be frustrating and challenging at times (especially that lengthy final boss battle), but I think the degree of fun I got out of it outweighed those poorer moments. The length is pretty decent and took maybe ten plus hours on easy, granted a lot of that is because I got lost in some areas for a while. Either way, I'd recommend this if you're really itching to play a game of this style. The closing scene kind of left it open for a possible sequel, I can only hope they improve upon some of the parts that made this game annoying, because it certainly has the potential to be quite good. | video-games_xbox |
Rise of the Tomb Raider Doomed to fail. I replayed the previous game before I played this one, this game does look good on the 360 but not as good as the old one on the ps4 I would think that it looks better on the xbox one. The game introduces a crafting system having you collect various items and animal skins to get upgrades, make arrows and craft explosives. The skill points are still divided up into 3 categories just like before but there are more choices then the previous game. Some of the skill point choices are kind of useless like being able to carry more ammo and crafting faster etc. Also new is side quests that reward you with some nice items. I would be nice if you could carry the explosives you make but you can only hold them in your hand, so basically its very controlled as far as that aspect is concerned. The story is ok, not quite as good as the last one I feel as you never really connect to the people you meet during the game, in the last game many of the people on island were your friends and you would have cut scenes with you interacting with them. This game you do have allies but its more an alliance due to having a common enemy. The tombs in this game are more challenging which is nice, I beat them all they give you enhancements one I remember makes your fire arrows Greek fire arrows. Its a solid game overall, I finished to story with an 80% completion.
Unfortunately I think its doomed to fail due to poor choices one releasing the game only on the xbox one and xbox 360 times exclusive I know but still, two releasing the game the same day as Fallout 4. I got the game due to the fact I have like the original tomb raider on PC the 1996 one. I hope Microsoft paid them a lot of money for the timed exclusive Its not coming out on the ps4 to the end of next year I think a lot of ps4 people have Xbox 360's so between now and then I am sure It will sell used for less then $20 they will buy it used and I don't think they will buy it again on the ps4 its not that good. As far as releasing the game the same day as fallout 4, would a movie studio want to release a new movie the same day as the new star wars, I wouldn't and the sales for fallout 4 are huge 750mill that surpasses black ops 3 with 500mill for the same time period. I hope the sales are high enough to continue the franchise, because it is a good game worth playing. | video-games_xbox |
Assassins Creed: Brotherhood V1.1. Title says it all. They really did not do that much to change this game. Im about 20 hours in and I don't think I really want to continue playing.
I don't understand why there is not an instant start mission option. I understand this has been the case for several assassins creeds, but guess what:
1. You finish an assassins master training in your hideout. Great! Time to go play a mission, yey!
2. You realize the mission start point is at Suleimans palace. Oh ok, no worries Ill just use the fast travel option.
3. You walk a few hundred feet to an underground network entrance and enter, now time to scroll until you get to the right destination. God forbid you actually just free scroll on the map and tell it where u want to go.
4. 15 second load screen (Hey, did you know u can use your hook blade to climb buildings?)
5. Your there, but your not really there its still 150 world units away. Fantastic. Now just another 90 second journey and you'll finally be at mission start.
OR
1. You finish your master training mission.
2. You press start, menu, story, select 'Go to memory start'
3. BAM, mission starts.
Would it really be this hard to put this in? Im going to get confirmation that this is in the next assassins creed before I buy it. You may think while reading this, awww hes exaggerating, I mean its only a few minutes, how bad could it be?
You do this about 50x in the game. It gets old.
That being said, another thing that really annoys me about this game is the 'castle defense' esque mini missions in the game. When I want to play castle defense, which sometimes I do, I will go play a game for free on the internet ON MY COMPUTER, where I can actually scroll across the screen in 0.1 seconds, not panning,panning,panning OK select unit. Its just a dumb idea period.
In conclusion, I hope you see that I have outlined this game did not change very much from AC brotherhood. You still have a brotherhood u give them quests and eventually "train them to be master assassins"<---which actually some of those missions is fun. However, it is definetly not worth more than $20 or more than 40 hours of your time. So just keep this in mind when deciding to purchase.
PS I have bought all assassin creed games and in my opinion the first is still the best. No nonsense, just assassin. | video-games_xbox |
Just another COD. Hello everyone!
Setup-55" Samsung 1080p 120HZ LED LCD w/surround sound and Wireless headset.
I'm going to start off with what came in the "Hardened Edition" first.
The game came with a "steel" case with artwork on it. It's nice, sturdy and I know my disc is well protected. In the case were the codes to unlock Nuketown 2025, Nuketown 2025 w/zombies, a neat xbox zombie skin that turns your avatar into a zombie (one for male and one for female), and some sort of COD robot for the avatar that I can't get to work right. Also the box had two engraved COD coins which was kind of neat because I'm a coin collector. These two coins allow you to download the music for the game, a skin for your weapons, and a gamer tag.
Single player action
I had a small problem with the single player which may have to do with me more than the game itself. In the beginning, it was hard for me to follow who was who and what exactly was going on. The action in the game was fun and exciting most of the time. Although I felt like I've done some of the things in other games (hard not to feel that way if you play as many as I have) it really kept my interest. Some of the cut scenes seemed to not be lined up with mouth movement and sound. It kind of bothered me at first, but then I just ignored looking at the people speaking. There were also some glitches that I found. On certain levels no matter how many rounds you put into the CI, it never killed them, but they could kill if I stuck around. Over all-Single player was fun and exciting and extremely difficult while played on the hardest setting.
Multiplayer
I'm a big multiplayer person. I love knowing when I shoot someone, someone on the other end is mad about it. I also really enjoy having to know the other persons moves before they make them. Always a nice challenge to play against someone else. At first, the servers would not let me connect to play online and I spent the good part of 30 minutes trying to connect when I finally got in. This still occurs on a daily basis, but usually takes 2 or 3 times trying to connect before it lets me in. The graphics do not seem any better then Black Ops 1 and I was really hoping it would be better. The game play is fast and fun, but it seems like the hit boxes are off. Countless times I have stood behind an enemy player and shot them in the back and the bullets would not register. The new weapons and kill streaks are a lot of fun and my favorite is the Killer Drone. The sounds are awesome and is great with surround sound and/or headphones. The level cap is 55 now and you get tokens for each level you get. One of the things I do not like is in order to try everything in the game, you have to presteige 10 times to unlock everything. I don't usually presteige that many times if any.
Overall the game has its flaws, but it is still fun to play. A lot of changes with kill streaks, weapons, but same graphics as the first black ops. Still has some glitches with server connection problems and hit box errors. I gave the game and package a 4 out of 5 because even with the problems it has, the good outweighs the bad.
I hope everyone enjoys the game too! | video-games_xbox |
Well Done, Gran Turismo has Serious Competition. Being the only simulation racing game on the Xbox 360 and the closest thing to GT4 since 2004 it is going to be difficult to compare this game to anything currently played. Because of this I will compare it to the game it is quite obviously trying to steal fans from. Forza 2 is unique from any other racing game currently on the 360 simply because it is well executed. It has most of the features of GT4 and none of the problems that franchise had.
The actual racing is very simplistic in its approach. Making the car drive how you want it to is not, especially at the higher levels. At the beginning you can win without tuning the car hardly at all. Go and drive fast and you'll most likely win...on the standard difficulty setting. The difficulty setting unlike the driving is fairly complex and adds another dimension to the game. One is able to toggle on and off the traction control, ABS system and active stability management. Difficulty of the opponents is adjustable three ways. Also available is a suggested driving line which tells when to brake, let off the brake or hit the accelerator. This is adjustable as well. I really like this feature because it really eases you into the racing instead of making you take those ridiculous license tests from GT. Everyone remembers these; they are frustrating and time consuming. What prevents you from getting to the higher level races in Forza is your driver level which you level up by winning the purses from the races.
The graphics in Forza 2 are average at best. The cars look very dimensionally correct but everything just has that game feel to it. Not once would you confuse this for reality. In fact I'd say it is only about one step up from GT4 in graphics. With the capability of these 7th generation systems you should be able to create a real sense of awe. What most likely happened is spending so much time making sure the dimensions of the car were incredibly detailed they ran out of time to really enhance the visual aspects of the metal and the backgrounds. It is almost like the lines are too sharp to make it seem real. This is quite a dissapointment for a game that took five years to create. I can only say that racing simulation games have to be the most time consuming expensive type of game to produce. What other type of game do you have to purchase the rights of 300 different products, numerous tracks and make them mesh together. For true gamers that are concerned with the essence of the game, the graphics will be an afterthought. I have to admit, I wouldn't mind having an HD version of Forza 2 in the future.
Cars in Forza 2 are literally the crowning achievement of the game. You will have a difficult time finding two cars that drive the same. Much like real life this is true. I, myself have not driven anywhere near the caliber or number of cars on this game. However common sense says: the 1969 Camaro is going to have a considerable amount of over-steer, the AWD vehicles have amazing grip, the Elise handles like a go-cart and the Lamborghinis as always are faster than the speed of light. You would expect this type of behavior in most racing sim games, but in Forza 2 every single car has a signature driving style, engine sound, braking ability and overall feel. In fact mechanical and aerodynamic engineers were hired to make sure the physics were correct to real life.
A big step that Forza 2 took was having real damage on the vehicles. This can be adjusted for the level of damage you want. Cosmetic-gives only cosmetic damage and no mechanical or electrical parts can be damaged. Partial Damage-body and suspension can be damaged and the car may pull to one side as well as reduced braking performance. Simulation-full blown damage as close to real life as it gets. Here you can damage the body, suspension parts and even lose power in the engine and transmission. However, if needed you can go to the pit area and all the damage except cosmetic can be fixed. This step of realism really adds another dimension to the game. Bravo.
Customization is a very large part of the experience in Forza 2. My favorite feature is the fact that you don't have to pay to change the color and there are about 150 regular colors, 150 metallic colors and probably 50 special iridescent colors. You are able to add hundred of vinyl shapes in any color and any size. Body kits and spoilers which actually improve the cars ability are able to be purchased and even adjusted. Mechanical parts on the car that can be upgraded are: brakes, all suspension components, plugs, intake, super or turbochargers, complete engine swaps, tires, wheels, engine, ignition, transmission and a few other things. You get the point. All the things that really were annoying with GT4 were remedied. Also upgrade parts can be resold back for half price.
Another amazing aspect of the game is the sheer amount of information available. I really enjoy this because while not being quite as technical in scope as GT4 it doesn't inundate you a lot of esoteric specs. I say available because you are not forced into viewing all of it all the time, but it can be accessed. A really nice feature is the "benchmark" which gives you various datum on the car you are currently in before you drive it. This includes 0-60 times, 60-0 times, skid pad, top speed etc. When purchasing a car you can find out horsepower, torque, weight etc. Detailed information on the car more so that this can be found as well. While racing you are able to view advanced telemetry such as lateral and vertical g's, tire heat, vehicle damage, engine and transmission running characteristics, shock damping amounts as well as a few other things. Later on in the game this technical information will really help out in determining how to tune your car. Tuning in Forza 2 is very close to GT4 in that the same things can be adjusted here. The difference here is when parts are adjusted it is much more noticeable, especially when combining multiple parts to be tuned. For example, when two or three parts are adjusted you get a synergistic effect. There isn't really much else to say about the tuning - a necessary part of a racing sim.
Understandably the game is not perfect. First off the load times are amazingly long for a system that has four processors-probably 30 seconds on average. Along with that is the time it take just to get to a race from starting up the Xbox. It is at the very least 60 seconds if you have the car you are going to drive ready. I'd say you'd be closer to two full minutes just to get into a race. Once you reach the upper levels of the game you notice one serious downside - the tracks. What I mean is the selection of tracks really goes down from fifteen or twenty to basically five. You have Mugello, Laguna Seca, Silverstone, Suzuka and The Nurburgring. These are all really interesting and real circuits. However, when you've raced them literally 30-40 times previously it ruins the experience. The game becomes monotonous. There are fake/synthetic tracks if you will that I find to be pretty exciting to drive including the King Cobra. The King Cobra is an amalgamation of hairpin turns, zig-zags and just downright malicious driving conditions. There must be four times the number of turns in this track as in any other track other than the Nurburgring. My belated point is for some reason the Forza programmers felt these fake tracks unfit for the professional races. Bad idea in my opinion. The only other real problem I had with the game is that there were not any F1 or open wheel cars in the game. I cannot fault them too heavily however because I imagine the rights to the other 300 vehicles were expensive enough to get. The driving conditions also never change. These faults are fairly easy to overlook if you really love racing sims however.
Graphics 5/10
Features 10/10
Gameplay 10/10
Difficulty 5/10 (on default settings)
Music 5/10 just a bunch of rave music
Replay Value 7/10
Overall 8/10 | video-games_xbox |
ITS-JUST-SO-MUCH-FUN. I bought this game, thinking it would be pretty fun, good for parties. I love water, and water parks, and hot showers, and jacoozies, and lakes, and oceans, and pools, etc... Basicly, I love water, and I picked this game up becuase of that.
I thought this would probably be a decent game...kinda fun. I never expected it to be, tho, what it was.
One of the best games I have ever played...just because of how awsome everything is. Here's what I thought of Splashdown for the Microsoft XBOX:
1) Gameplay: It's so AWSOME! Ok, heres what u do. You start out with (in multiplayer), 4 characters to race as and 3 courses to race in. THATS NO GOOD! So you have to go through the single player campaign and unlock dozens of courses, several new characters, and well, have a blast! In races, you do a time trial. You try to get the best time with 3 laps around the new course your going to race in. Whoever of the 4 racers who has the highest time goes first. Then on down... This is (in my opinion), a lot more fair than starting out 4th every race like most racing games. Now you have the chance to earn a spot. Ok, so after this, you race. The locations you race in are BEAUTIFUL! Fun, wavy, exciting water, blazing sunset, crowds, trees, etc... There are jumps to go off (tons), where you try to get a ton of air. Why? So you can do some of the COOLEST tricks around!
You can do flips, handstands, supermans (grab on to the back of your waveracer and HANG ON!!!), and dozens of other awsome tricks! You can also, if you want, flip your waveracer. There are over a dozen tricks to do for each character. Cool, eh? The more tricks you do, the faster your waveracer goes, and the bigger air you get on your jumps. As you advance, you unlock dozens of new courses and a few new characters and colorful cotumes for them. One course has you jumping higher and higher on man made platforms, leading to a *HUGE* jump at the top. Anyone who can land the jump (which is probably 50-60 feet at least), most likely wins the race. SUPER COOL! Once you unlock everything, the multiplayer is endless. I'll go into that later...
2) Graphics: The best part of the game! Lucious, blue, wavy, *WILD* water that is just waiting to be blazed through! The envirements are beautiful as well! Trees, mountains, several paths to take leading up to EVERY jump (almost). HUGE jumps, splashing water...it's incredible! The water is wild, uncontrollable! Go off a bad wave, it could flip you over. Watch as your waveracer sinks to the water on a crash, sending the rider dozens of feet into the air...OUCH! The splashing, the flips, the jumps, etc... It's just so awsome! I love playing this! The characters look cool, the specatators look awsome. It's all just so well done! Graphics here...4 stars (crowds could use some work tho!)
3) Controls: AWSOME! Pushing A lightly will glide you through turns with ease. Pushing down ALL THE WAY will send you flying through the water...and into tons of crashes off turns if your not careful. Steering is awsome, the tricks can be learned in minutes. Yet the real art of racing here takes awhile to learn. It's really quite fun, and one of the best controlling racing games I've played in a long time!
*Unlockables*: There are some areas that you can go that send you FLYING through the air at hundreds of feet. How? If you go deep into the water in some areas, a giant squid hand will come up and grab you (thats right, a GIANT squid hand will grab you). It will then fling you all the way across the course, depending on where your grabbed. Sometimes your character will hit a bridge, a boat, etc... I've even hit some of the other racers on the other end of the course. SWEET! Just more depth to a great game!
4) Multiplayer: Once unlocking everything, this is endless. You can race with all the characters, in all the locations (there are 14-15 ranging from Florida, Japan, to even Australia!). You can use different colored uniforms, and well, have a blast competing with your friend! The graphics, characters, controls, and AWSOME crashes, this game is so much fun in every way, its a MUST BUY!
Basicly, this is one of the few good water racing games you'll find on the XBOX. The graphics are awsome, the controls are great, and the multiplayer (only 1-2 players sadly) rocks! This is a game that is fun, graphicly and in controls, and has dozens of things to try. When you finally get bored (if ever), there are some cheats you can look up that let you race against Army Planes, UFO's, etc... Really cool!
This is a game that is just fun! It has great graphics, the variety of courses are so different that you'll have to learn each all over again. So many courses, characters, game types, etc... This game will keep you having fun (especially water fans) for many hours of gameplay to come!
Thx! | video-games_xbox |
Razer got me again. So first impressions, guess I will start there. You open the box and inside is a very nice controller case. Open that and you have a controller slot with some nice foam to keep your controller safe on the lid portion are two mesh pockets with a Velcro portion to keep everything tidy very nice case. The braided cable is of good length, and plugs in nice and easy. The controller is plug and play into pc which is what I am using it for. So first issue the backlit button are cheap crap. The buttons don't cover the whole slot so the light just shines straight out. Yes, it has a function to turn them off, but in messing with this option I came across problem 2. Access option to turn backlight off then go turn off rumble since I don't like rumble pressing the button to switch turns the backlight back on. So after messing around with it a bit, gave up on having both backlight and rumble turned off. Moved on trying to play the game I wanted it for Tera. This is a game I play with a controller that has to compete with people who use keyboards and mouse. So I was trying to keep playing with a controller, so for instance if I have block mapped to right mouse button and click the character will block as fast as I can click. The problem with controller is that they have that depress time was hoping this razer wouldn't. It has less depress than my xbox one controller, but the button are not very quick to respond so despite spamming B to block I block once every 2 seconds. This Is not very conducive at all considering especially in PvP I have to unblock rotate my character and re-block to block an attack coming from a different direction rapidly. So that's pretty much a right off for me but I'll continue. The thumb-sticks are very slow as well I play with max sensitivity on this game and it felt like I had cut my sensitivity in half. So again in PvP well changing camera angles and character direction needs to be rapid, I don't need a controller that lets people run circles around me faster than I can turn. Now for this "ergonomic" design the part of the controller on the outside part of the bumpers pushes outward physically making it harder to push the bumpers. I normally can use the bumper and trigger with just one finger on xbox one/360 and PS4 controller but this one was making me fight it to do that do to its bad design, also made that extra set of bumper they put into the controller very difficult to get at. This controller feels cheap overall like some knockoff. So poor buttons, bad programming in the panel, terrible thumb-sticks and horribly ergonomic design controller, that came in a very nice case with a nice cable. I will stick with my xbox one controller. | video-games_xbox |
SKEPTIC CONVERTED. $300 is A LOT to pay for a headset. There's NO getting around that fact, but that large price tag is MUCH easier to swallow when the product performs as well as these do. I am the proud owner of a high end 7.1 Klipsch home theater, but unfortunately as a town-home owner that is attached to 2 neighboring houses, I don't get the opportunity to crank the sound to necessary "action" volumes. Sound is such a HUGE part of the immersion experience for both movies and video games, that I felt like I was missing out on the intended experience.
Enter the Turtle Beach Ear Force Elite 800x Headset.... these things are AWESOME. I was slightly concerned that setting up the headset would be difficult with my current audio setup, but it was literally plugging in 3 cables; 1) USB from the included transmitter to the XBOX One, 2) Optical cable from the XBOX to the transmitter, and 3) Optical cable from the transmitter to my amplifier..... that's it. The setup couldn't have been easier and the results are sheer audio pleasure. I would HIGHLY recommend that you update the firmware on the included transmitter to fully open up customizable audio options for your headset. This can easily be done by visiting the Turtle Beach website and following the step-by-step instructions.
The audio quality is tight and distortion free even at the higher volumes and comes with various presets depending on what type of movie or game you are using them for. All of these presets can be adjusted on the fly using either the touch sensitive buttons on both of the ear cups, or by using your phone or tablet with the Elite Audio Turtle Beach app. Personally I prefer the app as it is MUCH easier and slightly more intuitive to use.
The ear cups are comfortable for long gaming sessions, but the headset is slightly on the heavy side and can result in a pressure point on the top of your head, but I only really have an issue with this during marathon sessions of 6 hours or more. Charge time for the internal battery is quick, and lasts longer than expected.
Overall, the best thing that I can say about this headset is that it has replaced my Klipsch home theater setup for the majority of my gaming and solo movie watching needs. I am FINALLY able to get that fully immersive experience, and it has made my digital media consumption THAT much more enjoyable. In my eyes, the price is ABSOLUTELY worth the money if you use movies, TV shows or video games to unwind after an exhausting or stressful day. Treat yourself and get that movie theater experience without ever leaving the comfort of your own home. | video-games_xbox |
Homefront Offers New and Innovative Mechanics in a Overpopulated Industry. Despite some recent issues with server space and a few problems here and there Homefront is a great game. The single player portion is a bit on the short end, around 5 hours, but it is a game that I do not feel needs to be longer to fit the story. Sure, it would be great to have another 4 or 5 hours to romp around in the great narrative writer John Milius constructed, and the very detailed (albeit graphically weaker) environments the folks at KAOS created, but it isn't necessary to complete the story.
The multiplayer (despite initial issues that most big FPS games have seem to be plagued with this last year or two) is great. I have heard the term "CoD rip-off" thrown around, but this term is unjustified and just not fair to Homefront. The multiplayer feels like a mix of Call of Duty and Battlefield, and provides big open environments, multiple vehicles and drones, and a few great new mechanics that I would love to see in other games. The biggest draw to MP is the dedicated servers, which even games like Call of Duty and Battlefield do not have; these servers help to reduce lag and give and equal playing field to all. Battle Points is one such mechanic that I would like to see in other games. Battle Points are points you get from kills, captures, and anything you would get points for in a typical FPS. With Battle Points though, they act as an in-game currency system for which you buy everything from vehicles (in the spawn screen) to launchers and drones (attached to two BP slots on your d-pad, you set these up before games in your class screen). Also Homefront brings Battle Commander, which adds a Grand Theft Auto-like star system to multiplayer matches (over top of Team Deathmatch, Ground Control, or Skirmish). Battle Commander is an A.I. for each team that marks enemy threads with stars (up to 5) and rewards you for taking them out.
Overall Homefront is a great shooter. It is not quite to the level of CoD and BF, but with each iteration I think the game will push itself more and more into the path of the war-based FPS juggernauts. Homefront is a buy, just be wary of when the fixes are coming for some of the issues, KAOS has been doing a great job of adding more servers and patching the game though, so you shouldn't have to worry too much! | video-games_xbox |
The Fall of Improved Payne. Max Payne is about to relive some harsh times. Picking up the pieces of his shattered life, Max resumes his role as a detective, tying up the loose ends from the original game in a much, improved, slicker and gloomier sequel.
Chasing a group of contract killers, Max runs into various figures from his past, such as Mona Sax, his unspecified love, Alfred Wooden, the Inner Circle organization and nearly everyone who was left breathing from the first title. The plot feels like a standalone title, while the same cast appears and the back story is touched upon at certain points, you never feel as you're playing a real sequel, mainly revisiting old faces and wrapping up the first game. One again Max delivers moody inner monologue, spoken amongst much better looking storyboards paired with animated cinematic scenes that neatly tie it all together with a drop of noir, mixed with a love story overtone.
Every positive thing returns in this game, only greatly improved. Characters move and act in a very realistic way with wonderful looking graphics, far more superior then the original. Max even has more than one facial expression this time. Bullet time, a staple of the series, has also improved, lasting longer and making quicker to access to use against fewer enemies allows it to be used more sparingly. All the sweet weapons make a second appearance, looking ever more lifelike and sounds just as great.
Rise and Fall of Max Payne is truly the improved and far better sequel even if it doesn't feel as such. It looks, sounds and feels much better, making one wonder why this title didn't arrive first, matched with the original story. Unfortunately all the immeasurable positives are almost overshadowed by two large negatives that can't be ignored; length and gratification. Playing the adventure just doesn't seem to be as fun this time around, parity due to the serious story and suitable to the fact this is a short game, short enough to beat and have a few days left on your rental. Payne may look good; it just doesn't feel as good the second time around.
Last Words: B-, great looking, serious entry that falls short of the original experience. | video-games_xbox |
X-factor. After all the hype, all the anticipation, the rumors, the bits and pieces of information, the desire to own it, and most importantly, the hype, the greatest game ever released for the X-Box has arrived, Halo 2. Even newbies to the Halo universe will get a kick out of this and much more. Truly a worthy successor to Halo: Combat Evolved and setting a whole new standard.
The story goes like this (I'll try not to spoil anything). Master Chief (otherwise known as John 117) returns to battle the alien Covenant, a group of religious fanatics bent on wiping out humanity because they see humans as an affront to their gods. When they launch an attack on Earth, Master Chief takes the fight to them. While the situation is already bad, there's more going on than meets the eye. Another Halo ring, the Delta Halo, is discovered, and this is when things get even more interesting. We learn more about our antagonists, the Covenant, and get a little insight into their motives, such as a look into the Covenant hierarchy. What they, along with the Master Chief will discover, will shock you. As for how it ends, well, let's just say you'll love it or hate it. Simply put, the single-player/cooperative campaign alone is worth the buy.
In addition to an amazing single-player mode, the multiplayer experience (which includes LAN support) will rock us all. This game can also be played on X-Box Live, and even there are many options where that's concerned. Also, the addition of dual-wielding, which is the ability to fire two weapons simultaneusly is very appealing. Almost all the weapons from the first game are back, along with new ones (some of them are weapons you couldn't use in Halo). There are new vehicles you can pilot, new enemies, and all new surprises. Your own armor is much improved as well, in the sense that they recharge much faster. It's also possible to "jack" other vehicles. It takes a little practice, but if you can pull it off, you can steal someone else's ride. Also, you encounter new enemies, among them, the Brutes. If you thought the Flood from the first game was bad, the Brutes will knock them outta the park.
Graphically speaking, this game is beautiful. Even after you've beaten the game, there's still a lot you can do, many more possibilities even in the single-player/co-op campaign. The areas you wander around in are so big it's a wonder how Bungie pulled it off.
This game is not without at least one shortcoming, however it's are not worth getting angry about. Whenever the cut-scenes play, there tends to be some texture pop-in, as in some things in the cut-scene just pop in after it starts playing. It may also happen when a mission loads, but chances are it's not even noticeable. It's not something that will ruin the game in any sense of the word.
Those who buy the Limited Edition get two discs, the actual game itself, and the second disc is a DVD loaded with bonus features, mostly documentaries detailing the making of the game, deleted material, and much more.
We've waited three years, so let's lock and load! | video-games_xbox |
A good value in batteries. These batteries are low self discharge, and are designed to have a long shelf life when unused. Prior to batteries such as the Eneloop, the problem with Ni-MH batteries was that if you carried spares, they might have gone dead by the time you needed them. Leaving them in a camera between uses meant that the camera couldn't be used without charging even if it had a good charge to begin with. The Eneloop changed that, and are excellent batteries, but they are quite expensive. So when I was offered these as a review sample, it was worth a try.
These batteries came partially charged and I was expecting "low power." The nominal voltage of these and other rechargeable NiMH batteries is 1.2V. I measured about 1.33V both under load and unloaded right out of the box. I gave them a full charge nevertheless, and got readings closer to 1.45V. This was tested with several meters of different brands.
These are rated at 1000mAh, which is substantially higher than many similar batteries. In theory they should last longer than those other batteries. So far that hasn't been the case, but I haven't had the opportunity to test them as thoroughly as I'd like to. With a constant load (flashlight) and periodic checking, they did as well as other batteries but not proportionally longer. After a few complete cycles, I will update the review if there's a significant change. Even though these haven't given me the longevity I expected from the rating, a more important question for me is whether these make a suitable replacement for more expensive batteries. So far, the answer is yes. Even if more diligent testing showed me that I overestimated the longevity, given how many batteries you get with this package, you should be able to get more usable life out of them than from a smaller package of more expensive ones.
There are a few things to keep in mind, however. Since I was sent these for review, I had an obligation to review them relatively quickly and objectively. There are some things that I might not know about them for a year, such as how long the shelf life is or how many charge cycles they will take. Waiting a year wasn't an option, but if I do find out down the road that these don't meet expectations, I will update the review. Since new batteries can improve after a number of cycles, there's also the possibility that these will be a bit better than I have indicated. | video-games_xbox |
XCOM - WAR is the answer. I grew up playing the original XCOM - UFO Defence when I was very young (not any of the other garbage XCOM titles that came soon afterward). Though I completely sucked at it, I simply loved it because of it's dark, creepy atmosphere and wide array of options in managing my war against the alien invaders.
I'm older now, and more accustomed to strategy-war games, and have just recently purchased XCOM - Enemy Unkown after reading so many great reviews, and hoping that it really would stay true to the formula of the orginal. The game arrived last night, and before I knew it, 6 hour had gone by.
So far this game has FAR exceeded my expectations. Not only does it hold true to the orginal game, but it is loads of fun. The combat system is perfect with you now being able to utilize cover much more stragically, and having more combat options while on the field. The only thing this game lacks so far is the creepy atmosphere of the original, but that is just light nit-picking compared to all the greatness this game has to offer.
The first few tasks at the beginning the game are very linear, but this is done simply to show you how to play the game. After that, you are on your own to build your base, make all of the engineering and research decisions, and decide on when to deploy your troops and how to deploy them. Your choices of where to set up your base are limited compared to the original, but this is easily overlooked. So is the fact that you can only have one base. One base may not sound like much, but there's a lot you can do with this base, such as building new additions to it and more.
This game is an easy five stars for me, and a breath of fresh air, as others have also said, for the gaming world in which one game just strives to copy the formula of another. I would easily give this game the title of game of the year, and I can already picture the countless hours that I will be putting into enjoying this game. If you want a game that's different from the norm of today's run and gun shooters and makeshift rpg's (some of which I love, don't get me wrong), and you enjoy a good tactical experience, this game is for you.
BUY IT!!!! | video-games_xbox |
Awesome controller when it works. Received the controller. I love it. Seriously it is awesome and the rapid fire works as advertised.
Problems:
The product description and the instructions both state there is auto sprint on the controller. Yet under the instructions to, "auto-aim, Quick Scope, Auto-Run, etc.." There are no directions on how to activate auto run. I tried to push all the combinations I could and no auto run. False advertising and they need a Quality Assurance rep or proof reader to fix their instruction sheet. I emailed them directly as their instructions say the are, "serious about customer service." They repeat this, bold it, underline it and even type in 20 point font, bold, underlined how they are hear to help. I sent them an email and they have not responded in a week.
The RB and LB buttons are very loose, clack and do not activate properly. I compared it with an old xbox one controller that I have over 1,500 hours of play with and that controller still had tight and accurate response to the RB and LB buttons. This brand new out of the box BlackZone controller, RB and LB buttons don't work properly. Have to press multiple times to get to work and they feel like they are cheap and going to fall off.
The headphone jack doesn't work properly. I have to twist it just a certain way to get it to work and it has static. Once again I compared the blackzone controller, brand new with three old xbox controllers I have and they all worked perfectly with the headphone jack. The brand new black zone controller mic or headphone jack does not work properly.
The mod for jump shot just comes on randomly for no reason. I had the controller laying on the counter and the left LED just blinked by itself. When I went to play auto jump was on (i did not activate it). It happens randomly in the game and I never use the preset function to turn it on or off.
So with all these problems why still 3 stars? Because when it works properly it is wicked awesome! So... I suppose my next purchase will be Evil controllers as I have heard their quality and customer services is much better. | video-games_xbox |
A Decent, Yet Fundamentally Flawed, Game. SSX Tricky is a decent game on the whole. However, it problems cannot be easily dismissed. Faults, sometimes minor and sometimes major, can be found with almost every aspect of the game. Thus, what could have been an extremely great game has been degraded to a mediocre one.
Problems:
Control Scheme:
It is obvious that absolutely no thought was put into designing the game's controls. While it may be relatively easy to put off the simplest grabs with a simple button press, you often have to press two buttons plus a shoulder trigger to execute a grab. This is just no practical on the unwieldy original XBOX controller (I have not tried it with the newer and smaller controller). Instead of this nonsensical arrangement, a trick control method more similar to the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater idea should have been used. This would enable plenty of grabs to be performed relatively easily. In addition to this, the tweaking feature for tricks could have been improved. Had the THPS trick scheme been used, pressing a shoulder trigger would have been ideal for tweaking. Unfortunately, tweaking requires pressing another of the six right hand thumb buttons. As you can guess, this is very complicated since most gamers have only one right thumb. Finally, when you build up your special trick meter, you have no choice over which special trick will be executed, since there is only one combination of buttons for the specials. This is simply inferior, as some tricks take longer to complete than others and would only be appropriate at some times. It is even doubtful that some specials can be completed, no matter how much air time you have. This is perhaps the most maddening aspect of the control scheme. I could go on about how ridiculously difficult it is to pull off some combos, though this would be somewhat redundant. There is one nice aspect about the controls, though. If you want to spin or flip, all you have to do is press a direction on the directional pad before you launch off the jump. This frees the gamer from having to hold a "spin" or "flip" button while in the air, thus allowing more buttons to be utilized in the (faulty) control scheme.
Level Design:
When a game says "Tricky" on the, I expect there to be a ton of spots to trick off in the levels. It seems that the emphasis was put on designing racing courses instead of parks and pipes, which is really quit unfortunate. The levels are relatively linear and while they do have some good launches, you actually have to work to find a place to bust a move. This is the case even in the trick mode, where ramps and rails are all over the place. Believe it or not, there is only one true halfpipe in the whole game. Other areas can be made to suffice as a halfpipe or quarterpipe, but these are few and far between. Some levels are just plain annoying, like the Aloha Ice Jam tunnels section or the bleak and boring terrain of Untracked. Others, like Alaska, are almost impossible to get down without crashing a lot, as there is so much garbage and curves in the path.
Music:
The music in this game can only be described as lame, especially since an "all-star" team made it. The songs all sound the same, and lyrics are never heard during the game. It is possible to listen to the songs individually while not playing, but who wants to do that? Also, the repetition of the RUN DMC track "Tricky" every time you fill up your special meter gets old quickly.
Other:
Each character has very few recorded interactions with the other characters. It seems that before every race you have to watch the character respond to a taunt in exactly the same way they do every time. Also, some characters are primarily equipped with racing boards and only have one (or maybe even zero) freestyle boards. This can make doing tricks quite difficult, since riding and landing fakie are out of the question. Finally, the tricks get very outlandish at times, not only with the specials but with regular tricks too. Therefore, if you are looking for a realistic snowboarding game, I suggest you look elsewhere.... | video-games_xbox |
Outstanding! First great game of 2010. I'll admit I was probably one of the only people NOT looking forward to Bayonetta before it came out. While 3rd person action games are probably my favorite genre, just about everything that's come out lately is either a 1st person shooter in a 3rd person guise or another God of War/Devil May Cry rip off. I'm happy to say Bayonetta is not only my favorite game from the last couple years it's probably the best 3rd person action game out there (for the next-gen systems anyway)!
The game starts off uneven trying to cram a creative but unrealized story of a witch fighting heavenly creatures into a tutorial/prologue level. This was probably the low-point for me since this game had at least three different openings, one controllable, one in voice-acted film strips, one in full-cutscene and all of these were confusing at best (not to mention VERY overwhelming). Also throughout the game there's alot of characters introduced. Despite being a story-driven game I found the less I thought about the story and what was going on the more I enjoyed myself. There are texts you can collect throughout the game though that will give you a bit more backstory as to what's going on.
Thankfully the narrative is the ONLY weak point to this game. Once you start the first chapter you will be literally blown away by the gameplay mechanics. The game very much plays out just like Devil May Cry with you chopping and shooting your way through hordes of demons and excellent bosses and the game gives you alot of different things to do this with. There are so many weapons, techniques, accessories, items, costumes to try and unlock that you'll actually WANT to play through each stage multiple times. You can also equip any combination of melee weapons and guns on your hands and feet which drastically can change the way you fight.
The music in the game is the usual j-pop fare. I'm not a huge fan of it, but it seemed to fit the game well and never felt out of place. The voice acting is also flawless despite alot of silly dialogue.
I really can't recommend Bayonetta enough. It's got terrific graphics, excellent gameplay mechanics, and a never ending sense of fun and creativity. I bought the XBOX 360 version because I heard the PS3 version had a never ending amount of issues. I can't vouch for that version but if you're an action game fan and own a XBOX360 this game is a must buy! | video-games_xbox |
A Wonderful Joy to Play. I Love this Game!!!
Anyone that says this game is terrible must not have played more than a couple matches. This game is great!!! I love the player modeling and how the small things like the ambient background noises and the French speaking announcers when you're in France give it a truly epic experience. I love how detailed the courts look and how the crowd re-acts to long rallies and the challenge system (challenge a call of a ball hit in or out).
I enjoy building my player up with the exp points you receive. At first you get to use the points to allocate to building up your backhand, forehand, serve & volley, footwork, etc... for your overall player basic stats. As well you can use points for specific skills like Increased Stamina, Moon ball, Toughness, Nice Shot, Easy Shot, Down the Line, etc...
The sponsor challenges can be tough, but their worth it. Also the fact that you can play doubles and mixed doubles with anyone you can beat in a challenge match is great. Online play is easy and fun as well.
Look, I played many tennis games and this one is the best to me. It's not perfect but it's the best out their currently. No, it doesn't have the actual names of locations, but you know them, and I want to tell you that the locations they created are simply wonderful. Play at Lyons match aka French open and the opening where you start to walk in and these 2 glass doors that open up and you hear the crowd and the French announcer is just awe inspiring. Then you play and you hear the court judge speaking fluent French is just great.
Please go and buy this game. I took a chance on it a month ago and now I can't stop playing. I feel I finally have a tennis game that is realistic and fun, not an arcade game lit VT3 and TS3. It's in expensive and you will feel that the game should have gotten a better review and sales. I look forward to SCT4. My wife hopes that it will never come out.
One last thing I forgot to mention is that the stats section is really great and helpful into seeing how your player is performing overall. Also, the shop is great too.
So run don't walk to wherever you buy games or make it simple and buy here at Amazon and get ready for some serious fun. Oh, my gamertag is Graf Ulrich 88 on Xbox live (in case you want a match).
Cheers,
Rob | video-games_xbox |
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